


Revenge of the Fallen

by Aleigh75



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Forced Marriage, Fuck Or Die, HP: EWE, Poison
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-10
Updated: 2015-02-10
Packaged: 2018-03-11 11:13:45
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 32,355
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3325418
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aleigh75/pseuds/Aleigh75
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Um...your basic sex or die trope. Bellatrix poisoned the blade she cut Hermione with. Once Bella dies, the poison kicks in. (I'm better with stories than I am with summaries and titles, I swear!)</p><p>And I don't own them, I'm just borrowing them for a while!!!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer - I don't own any of it, and the only benefit I get from writing this is getting my muse to shut up about it.
> 
> So...this us my first post on AO3, but not my first fanfic. I'm currently without a pc or a beta, and writing everything on my phone, so please bear with me as far as spelling/grammar mistakes are concerned.
> 
> This story more closely follows the movies than the books, at least as far as Hermione's torture by Bellatrix.
> 
> Also, not all of the relationships are present tense/happen in the time frame of this story.

“You can’t put her in there.” A loud feminine whisper roused Hermione Granger from a fitful half-sleep. “Do you realize whose room that is?” 

“I know exactly whose room it is, but that is the last available bed on this floor. I’m afraid there is simply no space for Miss Granger have a private room any longer.” An apologetic, male voice quietly answered the first. 

“All right, but be quiet. She’s resting.” The first voice answered irritably. Hermione recognized the voice of Becca, the slightly graying middle aged nurse who had barely left her side in the last 72 hours. In her late forties, the heavyset woman had been fiercely protective of Hermione since she’d arrived at St Mungo’s three days before. 

In the commotion after Harry had defeated Voldemort, Hermione had noticed that the month and a half old scars on her left arm where Bellatrix LeStrange had marked her as a ‘Mudblood’ had split open and begun to bleed. The re-opened cuts had stubbornly refused every effort to heal them. They had quickly become red and swollen, looking badly infected within a few hours. The "infection" began spreading very quickly. 

Just twelve hours after the battle ended, Hermione had been moved to St Mungos. Madam Pomfrey had declared, after running a few extensive tests that there was no infection after all. The renewed bleeding and tissue degeneration were the result of some kind of delayed, magic-imbued poison...almost a liquid curse...which must have been on the blade Bellatrix had cut her with. The school’s healer admitted regretfully that she did not recognize the exact poison that had been used, and she feared counteracting it was beyond her capabilities. Hermione had been in the "Critical Curse and Poison" ward at St Mungo's ever since. 

Rising up on her elbows, she now sleepily mumbled. “It’s alright, Becca, I’m awake.” She wasn't sure what time it was, but it was still pitch black outside her window.

“Oh, Hermione, dear, I’m sorry we woke you. I’m afraid we need to move another patient in with you. The hospital is simply overflowing, what with the battle and all...” Becca apologized.

Hermione lifted her hand in a gentle shushing motion. “It’s alright, Becca, I totally understand,” she assured the older woman, watching as a blonde woman, her face blocked by the orderly at the head of the floating stretcher, was brought in and transferred to the empty bed beside her own. “What’s wrong with her?” 

Becca bit her lip, hesitating. Before she could answer, a familiar and rather unwelcome voice answered from the doorway. “She was cursed within an inch of her life, not that it’s any of your business, Granger.” 

Hermione turned sharply to face Draco Malfoy, the one living person (other than Dolores Umbridge), that she’d least like to see in her hospital room. His hair was sticking up in the back and he was dressed sloppily in wrinkled tan trousers and what looked like a pajama top. “What are you doing here, Malfoy?” She snapped irritably. “Leave me alone.”

“I would, but that’s my mother, so I’m afraid I'm not going anywhere.” The blond's reply noticeably lacked its usual bite. He sneered slightly, but it seemed more out of habit, and his eyes shifted anxiously to the other bed. The orderly finally stepped aside, and Hermione saw that it was, in fact, Narcissa Malfoy. As soon as the orderly moved the stretcher out of the way, Draco moved to his mother’s side, gently took her hand in his, and quickly wiped his cheek with the back of his other hand.

Hermione realized he was crying, and immediately lost any lingering desire she had to fight with him. “I’m sorry she’s...hurt,” She said softly. She glanced at the older woman's pale face and winced. “Hurt” was an understatement. The older woman strongly resembled a corpse. In fact, Hermione had seen Avada Kedavra victims (far too many) who'd looked much healthier.

Malfoy took a deep breath and turned to Hermione with his habitual scowl back in place. When he saw her sad expression, he wilted visibly, and simply mumbled, “Thanks,” before he turned back to his mother and gently brushed a lock of her long curly hair away from her face.

“She’s beautiful,” Hermione observed quietly a few moments later. She'd never really taken the time to look at the other woman, but it was true. Like her son, Narcissa had very fine, pronounced, bone structure. On his mother, however, the delicate features didn’t seem as, well, pointy as they did on Draco. She was far too thin and her coloring was far too pale, but she undeniably had an ethereal beauty about her. 

“She is.” Malfoy agreed bluntly, still staring anxiously at Narcissa. “People always say I look like her," he mumbled absently.

This statement normally would have struck her as conceited, especially coming from him, but Hermione could tell he wasn’t trying to imply that he, too, was was attractive because he resembled his mother. It was just a statement of fact. 

Deciding maybe he just needed to talk, Hermione asked, “What happened? Was it...Death Eaters?" She was well aware that several of Voldemort's followers had escaped. If any of them ever found out how Narcissa had helped Harry... Hermione shuddered at the thought.

“Not exactly.” Malfoy replied bitterly. “My father went out late last night. He said he was going to speak with his attorneys, but he didn't come back until 3 o'clock this morning. He dragged me out of bed, ranting and raving like a madman," he said, shuddering. "I honestly thought for a moment that he was going to kill me, but Mother stopped him. She ended up killing him, but not until after he'd hit her with the 'cruciatus' and 'sectumsempra'...” Malfoy finished, unconsciously rubbing his chest where Harry had hit him with the latter spell a little over a year earlier.

“What?!” Hermione blurted, staring at him in horror. "He tried to kill you?"

Apparently done sharing, Malfoy clenched his jaw. Sighing irritably, he asked, “Shouldn’t you be resting? I heard your arm rotted off or something...” He glanced briefly at her and grimaced. “Do you need the nurse for that?” He asked, seeming quite concerned, especially for him.

Hermione looked down and saw that the dressing around her left arm was soaked with blood. Again. “Dammit.” She grabbed the thin, silken cord that was tied to her headboard and gave it a yank. She could hear a bell tinkling at the nurses station down the hall and flopped back against her pillows to wait for Becca. “It’ll be fine. It's done this a few times.” She shrugged helplessly at Malfoy, who was staring at her, looking slightly nauseated. She didn't feel like explaining that this had been occurring more and more frequently as the poison spread up her arm.

“That doesn’t look fine, Granger,” he muttered just as Becca came into the room.

“Oh dear! Again?” Becca tsk’d worriedly. Turning to Malfoy she said, “Could you please excuse us for a moment while I replace Miss Granger’s bandages."

He glanced longingly at his mother, and Hermione quickly said, “He can stay...just...turn around, please, Malfoy?”

“Of course,” Giving her a quick, grateful smile, he turned back to his mother, leaning over, kissing her forehead and whispering in her ear.

Becca quickly cast a cleansing spell to whisk the blood away. When she gently pulled back the bandages, she and Hermione both gasped. The area affected by the poison had spread even further, covering her entire forearm. In the affected area, even her pores were now slowly oozing blood and the skin was turning deep scarlet with thick black veins trailing up and down her arm. Glimpses of muscle and other tissues were visible deep inside the original cuts. The letters were no longer discernable due to the degeneration of the skin around the cuts. “Oh my. My, my, my.” The nurse murmured. After quickly replacing the blood soaked bandage with a clean cotton dressing she said, “I’m going to go get Doctor Hart.” With that, she bustled out of the room. 

“You can turn around now.” Hermione mumbled after she'd left, then began chewing her lip anxiously. She tried unsuccessfully to fight back tears as she waited for her healer to come. The last time they'd spoken, he had told her that if they couldn’t contain the poison, they might have to amputate her arm. 

Hermione felt herself beginning to hyperventilate, but was unable to calm herself at the thought of losing her arm. What was she going to do?! She desperately wished her mother and father were here, but so far the Order had been unable to locate her parents in Australia. As far as anyone could tell, about three months ago they had moved away from the home she had set up for them last summer. They'd left no forwarding address.

Normally, the Weasley family stepped in as a sort of surrogate for her own, but they were all currently holed up at the Burrow, too devastated by Fred's death to cope with anything else.

Harry had stayed by her side almost constantly since she was brought in, but he was at home, finally getting some much needed rest. She didn't want to call him back to the hospital...he'd left just after midnight and said he'd be back in the morning. She knew he desperately needed some sleep, but she'd never felt more alone.

Suddenly, she felt a hand clumsily patting her on the shoulder. “Hey, it’s okay. Don’t cry. I’m sure they’ll be able to fix it.” It was Malfoy, looking very uncomfortable as he (astonishingly) tried to comfort her. “What curse were you hit with?”

“It wasn’t a curse, it was poison, but no one here recognizes it," Hermione whimpered. “It's from when Bellatrix, well, you know...you were there." 

Malfoy frowned grimly and nodded. 

"Shortly after she died, the scars started to open back up. The poison is dissolving m-my arm...like a-acid or s-something, and it keeps spreading.” She choked back a sob and buried her face in her hands, not caring that one of her worst enemies was witnessing her break down. “They’re gonna c-cut it off. My arm. They’re not even sure if that will s-stop it!” She wailed. 

“Bloody hell!” She heard Malfoy curse softly. Suddenly, he was sitting beside her on the bed and had his hand on her right arm. He opened his mouth, closed it again, rubbed the bridge of his nose irritably, then sighed and finally spoke, “Granger...I think I may know where to find the recipe for the poison she used."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I forgot to mention, there's a lot of blood in this story.
> 
> And cheese, ie. it gets VERY cheesy before the end. Lol

“What?” Hermione blinked at him in disbelief. “How do you know?” She asked suspiciously, “Did you help her brew it?” 

She didn’t know much about Bellatrix, but she was fully aware that Draco himself had always excelled at Potions. She could grudgingly admit that his good grades weren't solely due to the fact that he was Snape's godson. He'd done just as well under Slughorn, who had held him in rather obvious contempt.

“No!” Malfoy scowled so darkly in response to her questions that she involuntarily shrank back against the pillows, “There were all kinds of notes and books and things in his study. I'm not usually allowed in there, but that's where-" he paused and cleared his throat before continuing. Hermione felt another pang of sympathy for him when she noticed that his hands were shaking. "When Mum shoved me out of the way, I fell against the table he had them on. While my face was smashed against it, I noticed that one of the books on top was open to a recipe for some sort of flesh-eating poison." He cast a meaningful glance at her arm before continuing, "It's called 'Ultionem Caesorum'...'Revenge of the Fallen'. Its effect is delayed, you see. Once administered, the poison imbeds itself into the victims cells and waits. There's a spell placed on the poison while it is still brewing rendering it dormant unless the person who brewed it is murdered or killed in battle. It's normally given orally, so that it will attack the internal organs and kill the victim quickly but painfully.It can work externally, as well. That has to be what she used on you." 

Hermione stared at him. "Why would she do something like that?"

"Well, she almost always kills her victims after she's done playing with them. She may have used it as a failsafe in case anyone ever got away. She might have assumed that You-Know-Who would kill her if she ever allowed anyone to escape. That's not an unreasonable assumption. Or maybe she did it because she was a psychotic fucking bitch," he muttered the last bit, snorting scornfully.

"She was that..." Hermione mumbled, wrinkling her nose.

Malfoy chuckled bitterly. "Finally, we agree on something, Granger." He grimaced slightly before saying, "Look...I can go get the book...maybe there's an antidote, or if not, having the original recipe should help them develop one."

“How do you remember so much about it?” Hermione lifted her head and looked at him thoughtfully. "That seems like an awful lot of information to catch from a quick glance."

Malfoy rolled his eyes. “I have what Muggles call a photographic memory. I remember everything I see,” he explained slowly, as if she were about five years old. “Look, if you’d rather have your arm rot off, and then die, forget I said anything...”

Just then, Hermione’s healer walked into the room, his nose buried in a large sheaf of parchment. “Hermione, I’m afraid it’s time to consider more drastic measures. As we spoke about before, there's a possibility that amputating-” Doctor William Hart, a tall, skinny dark-haired wizard who looked far too young to have completed Healer training, was already speaking. He didn't look up from the papers in his hand until he sat on the end of her bed. 

Hermione knew he was older than he appeared, but not by very much. At the age of twenty two, he was literally a prodigy when it came to developing counter-curses and antidotes. She'd been told she was fortunate to have him assigned to her case. Apparently being a famous war heroine had its privileges.

To Hermione’s surprise, Malfoy quickly interrupted the young healer, jumping to his feet and exclaiming. “Don’t cut anything off her until I get back!”

“And who are you?” Doctor Hart asked, startled. Hermione supposed he hadn’t even noticed that Malfoy was there, as intent as he was on reading his notes. He was always so absorbed in his work that she wasn't surprised that he didn't recognize Draco from all of the newspaper articles about his family, even after his father’s highly publicized trial almost two years ago. The healer hadn't even recognized Harry on sight.

“I’m Draco Malfoy. As you may know, I’m Bellatrix LeStrange’s nephew." This earned him a blank look. "She’s the one who did this to Granger." Malfoy gestured impatiently at her arm. "I think I know what my aunt used on her,” Malfoy explained hurriedly. “Will you let me go get the recipe before you do anything rash like hacking off her arm?” 

William frowned thoughtfully, then nodded. “Alright, that could be extremely useful, but we need to hurry. At the rate this poison is spreading, we cannot wait much longer or, erm, amputation will no longer be a viable option.”

“Give me ten minutes.” Malfoy nodded briskly. With that, he pulled out his wand and disapparated on the spot.

Once he was gone, Doctor Hart turned to Hermione, “If he’s wrong about the antidote being in that book, you will have to seriously consider letting us remove your arm, Hermione. If the poison spreads past your shoulder, we won't have the option to even attempt amputation anymore...I don’t think I have to tell you what the consequences would be if this were to reach your heart." He grimaced sympathetically and patted her awkwardly on the knee.

“I kn-know.” Hermione stammered. “I don’t want to die.” She sniffled, trying hopelessly to stop her tears.

“Please don’t cry, Hermione.” He smiled gently at her. “Hopefully Mister Malfoy really does have the cure. I mean, since it was his aunt who did this to you...” The healer patted her knee again. “I have to say, from what I've heard of his family, I’m surprised he would offer to help you. Aren't they all Death Eaters?” He frowned confusedly.

Hermione chuckled tearfully and made a so-so motion with her hand. “I’m not sure if he ever took the mark, but he’s really not very good at being evil. He’s an annoying git and a bully, but I always got the feeling his heart wasn’t into the whole killing thing. He was supposed to kill Dumbledore last year, but he couldn’t do it.”

“Well, I hope you’re right. You may be putting your life in his hands, you know.” Doctor Hart frowned slightly. Just then someone called his name from down the hall. “I’ve got to go check on a few things, but I’ll be back in ten minutes. Hopefully Mister Malfoy will be as quick as he said he would be. We don't have a lot of time to decide.” 

“A-alright.” Hermione really didn’t want to be left alone, but she watched the gentle young man leave without protest. To distract herself, she looked over at Narcissa, who hadn’t moved in the slightest since they’d brought her in. The witch's skin was positively pasty, and seemed more gray than it had been when she was first brought in. Hermione leaned a bit closer, frowning worriedly. Were they even sure she was still alive? “Ma'am? Can you hear me? Are you alright?” There was absolutely no response. Hermione squinted and stared at her roommate’s chest to see if she was breathing. She was unable to make out any movement. Finally, she broke down and pulled the cord on her bed, shouting, “Becca!” 

“What is it dear?” the nurse asked, running into the room as fast as her chubby legs could carry her.

“I think she’s d-dead!” Hermione whimpered, pointing frantically at Narcissa . 

Becca moved closer to the pale woman, and felt her wrist and then her neck. “She’s alive...she's just very weak. We have a heart monitoring spell on her, so there will be a warning at the nurses desk if...well...you know. I’m sorry you were frightened, dear. You certainly have enough on your plate.”

“I’m sorry I bothered you.” Hermione whispered embarrassedly.

“It’s alright, sweetheart. You meant well.” Becca patted her on the shoulder. “Do you need anything? Tea, perhaps?”

“T-tea would be lovely.” Hermione nodded quickly, hoping it might calm her frazzled nerves.

“I’ll be right back,” the nurse nodded and left the room.

Hermione laid back and closed her eyes, taking deep breaths to try to settle herself. Suddenly there was a ‘pop’ right beside her bed and she sat up with a startled shriek, scrambling for her wand, which she kept under her pillow out out of habit after months of being on the run.

“Sorry! Sorry, it’s just me!” Malfoy held up one hand in a gesture of surrender. In his other hand, he held a dark, leather covered book which appeared to be stained with blood. She could feel the negative energy it held from over a meter away, and grimaced as her arm started to throb more painfully. “I know...it’s awful.” Malfoy grimaced at her sympathetically.

“It’s making my arm feel worse,” Hermione ground out irritably. She waved her right hand, still holding her wand, toward the door frantically. “Please get it away from me!”

“Shite! I'm sorry!” Malfoy cursed and moved to put the book on a small table near the door, as far from her bed as possible in the large room. Even at that distance, Hermione could feel the wounds on her arm throbbing due to its proximity. “Is that any better?”

“A little.” Hermione lied. Tucking her wand back under pillow, she pulled the bell cord just as Becca walked in with her tea.

“Oh, you’re back! I’ll go let Doctor Hart know!” Becca smiled brightly at Malfoy as she shoved the mug into Hermione’s hands. She darted out the door and returned with the healer in mere seconds.

“Mister Malfoy, were you able to retrieve the recipe?” Doctor Hart asked hopefully. 

“Yes, but it’s making her arm hurt worse.” the younger wizard explained, pointing to where the book lay on the table near the door. “And, well, I have good news and bad news. There's  
an antidote in the book, but it takes twelve hours to brew, and you need the blood of the person who brewed the original poison.”

“Oh no!” Hermione’s heart sank. “Her body was destroyed ...there's no blood left!” She buried her face in her hands, trying not to cry. Her heart rate accelerated and she couldn’t seem to draw any air into her lungs. “I’m going to die,” she moaned helplessly. 

“Now, now, don’t give up hope yet.” Doctor Hart said comfortingly. “It is still possible to make the antidote...if Mister Malfoy would be willing to do us one more favor.”

“You need my blood, right?” Malfoy asked, sighing heavily. “She was my aunt...so we share blood.” 

“Yes.” William nodded. “It should be close enough to work. Although, your mother’s blood would be closer, genetically...” he glanced over at the unconscious witch.

“No, I’ll do it.” Malfoy interrupted. Hermione stared at him in disbelief. “What? I’m not a monster.” Malfoy snapped. He didn’t sound as if he was completely convinced of this himself, but he gazed defiantly at her until she cleared her throat and looked away. 

“Alright, that’s settled then,” Doctor Hart spoke up, breaking the awkward silence that followed. He lowered the book, which he had been gingerly flipping through. “The only issue is that this potion takes such a long time to brew. Twelve hours. In that time, the poison is sure to spread beyond the point where we would be able to excise the affected tissue in order to prevent it from spreading further. If we decide to try the antidote, and then it doesn't work for some reason, I’m afraid you would be completely out of options, Hermione.”

Hermione chewed her lip for a moment. “You’re absolutely sure that this is the result of the poison in that book?” She looked back and forth between Malfoy and the healer. They exchanged glances and then both nodded. Hermione focused on Malfoy and narrowed her eyes, “You swear this isn’t some kind of trick?”

Malfoy sighed irritably, “Do you want me to take a Wizard’s Oath? Swear on the life of my first born child?” He asked angrily.

“A Wizard’s Oath will do.” Hermione smirked slightly. “Swear that you really believe this antidote will work and you’re not trying to get me killed faster...”

Malfoy rolled his eyes exaggeratedly, but pulled out his wand and said, “I swear on my powers as a Wizard that I truly believe the recipe in that book,” He pointed, “...will save this suspicious, ungrateful know-it-all’s life and not kill her. I also swear that I will do everything in my power to help save her from the poison my bitch of an aunt used on her.” He waved his wand and a misty golden light rose up, surrounded him and then sank into his body. “Happy now?” He all but snarled.

“Yes, thank you,” Hermione smiled back timidly, knowing she was pressing her luck. Turning to Doctor Hart, she said “Let’s try the antidote.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I forgot to mention this story is complete, so I'll probably be updating it fairly quickly.

“Very well.” Doctor Hart nodded a bit uncomfortably and closed the book. “I’ll get this to our potion master immediately. Mister Malfoy, I’ll send someone to draw some blood from you later. It doesn’t need to be added to the potion until it has brewed for a few hours, and it will be more effective if it’s freshly drawn.”

“Fine.” Malfoy nodded stiffly. “I’ll be here.” He glanced down at his mother, who still looked more dead than alive in Hermione’s opinion. 

Becca and Doctor Hart left, and Malfoy moved to his mother’s bedside, sitting with his back to Hermione. The two sat in uncomfortable silence until several minutes after the others had left the room, when Malfoy suddenly said, “This might sound stupid...I’m sure it does...but I appreciate that you, um, trust me with this.”

“Should I not trust you?” Hermione asked, still suspicious despite his oath. “Why are you helping me, anyway?” 

“Because of my father,” He answered quietly.

Hermione snorted so loudly it actually hurt her nose. Rubbing it, she peered dubiously at him. “Your father? Seriously?”

“Yes.” He chuckled bitterly as he turned to face her. “Because of what he did to Mum. I looked through some of his papers while I was waiting for the healers to come.” He swallowed thickly, looking quite sick. “I found out that before I was born, during the first war, he experimented on her. He tortured her. I think he might have even let some of his Death Eater friends r-rape her,” he whispered, his voice tight and angry. “They tried for years to have a baby before me, but she was never able to carry a child to term. Father thought that the reason she couldn’t maintain a pregnancy was because her magic level wasn’t ‘acceptable’!” He jumped to his feet, his eyes flashing with rage. Looking wildly around the room, he began pacing rapidly back and forth. “I’m glad he’s dead! No...I wish he was alive so I could kill him myself!” He ranted as he stomped from one end of the room to the other. 

Hermione flinched away from him, quietly watching as he paced. When he slowed his pace and seemed to have calmed down a bit, she quietly asked, “How is her magic not acceptable?” She looked sadly over at the unconscious woman. 

“I don't know if you were alert enough to notice when your friends were trying to get you out of the Manor, but my Mum’s magic isn't very strong. Apparently it wasn't always so,” Malfoy replied softly. Moving back to his mother’s side, he sat down again and took her hand in his. "His notes indicated that he tested it after her first miscarriage. Immediately afterwards, while she was still weak. He wasn’t satisfied with the results and blamed her low magic level for the miscarriage, rather than the stress of being surrounded by Death Eaters. He experimented on her to try to increase her magic, and instead he all but destroyed it,” he growled, punching his left hand with his right fist. Hermione braced herself for another outburst, but he just reached up and brushed a lock of Narcissa's hair from her face before continuing his story, “He became convinced that mud-um-muggle borns really did steal their magic from pure-blooded witches and wizards, and thought he could reverse the process. He tried to extract magic from muggle-born children and transfer it into Mum, but he ended up killing the muggle born kids and nearly killing Mum.”

“That’s horrible! How did he get away with that? Why would your mum let him do that?!” Hermione exclaimed, outraged.

“She didn’t know he was doing it!” Malfoy snapped, “He kept Obliviating her, and the house elves were too terrified of Father to risk telling anyone what was going on.” 

"H-how did they have you?" Hermione asked hesitantly.

"I honestly don't know," he mumbled, chewing on his lip. "All of the sudden, after a decade of trying, she just suddenly had a completely normal, healthy pregnancy. I think my Godfather brewed a fertility potion for her, because it wasn't that long after he became a Death Eater."

"Well, Snape is a genius at potions," Hermione admitted. "But your father...he left her alone after she had you, right? He stopped his experiments?" 

"As far as I know he never touched her again, and she still has no idea what he did to her or to-" he cut off abruptly and walked over to the room's only window, which was enchanted to show a flower-filled meadow rather than the wall of the building next door.

Remembering the way Lucius had spoken to his son the few times she'd seen them together, Hermione winced. "Did he...hurt you?" She asked reluctantly. He might hate her even more than usual later, but somehow she could tell he really needed to get things off his chest. 

He ducked his head and cleared his throat. “Um, well, not when I was younger. After V-v...You-Know-Who...came back, there were a few times when he was upset..." He ran his hand down over his face, stopping with it over his mouth and exhaling loudly through his fingers.

"And then he just attacked you? Because Voldemort lost?" Hermione asked gently. 

"Well, I don't know if he was going to kill me. He just barged into the Manor this morning, dragged me up to his study and...and..." He cleared his throat. Hermione waited patiently for him to keep going. "Needless to say, although Mother and I were more than a little relieved by the outcome, Father wasn't at all happy with how the final battle played out," he said after a moment or so. "I think he thought I should have let Crabbe kill you and the wea...er...Weasley in the Room of Requirement. It would have thrown off Potter's focus, so Vol...HE could win, you know?” Sighing heavily, he said, “I couldn’t let him do it, though. I knew that killing you guys was what Vol...HE would want, as long as I didn’t let the moron kill Potter. He wanted him for himself. But I just couldn’t let Crabbe do it. I did my best to stop him without being too obvious about it. I mean, I couldn’t risk pissing off V-vol...You-Know-Who.” He shrugged, giving her a beseeching look.

Hermione narrowed her eyes slightly, thinking over the events in the Room of Requirement. “I guess I can sort of see that." She conceded finally. 

She secretly thought there had to be more to Lucius' attack, but she wasn’t going to push the issue...Draco was clearly quite shaken, and it was really none of her business. "I’m sorry if he tried to hurt you because of us,” she mumbled. Then, feeling stupid for apologizing for something that wasn’t really her fault, she added, “But you were still a complete arse all these years, you know?” She grinned teasingly to take some of the sting out of her words, even though they were complete true as far as she was concerned. He wasn’t the only one with things to get off his chest.

Malfoy had the decency to blush slightly, but smirked as he said, “You lot weren’t all that pleasant yourselves.” 

Hermione rolled her eyes. “Fine," she conceded. "But we did save your sorry arse the other day,” she reminded him, wanting to even the score. “At least twice.”

“Twice?” He frowned confusedly. “I only remember once.”

“Oh, it was at least twice,” she assured him. “That's just during the battle. It was really three times if you count Harry killing Voldemort and saving the whole wizarding world, which includes you,” Hermione raised her chin stubbornly. “So, yeah...three times.”.

“Fine. Twice then.” Malfoy smirked again, but not in his usual malicious way. Hermione wasn’t sure which instance of their life-saving services he was refusing to acknowledge, and she huffed impatiently. Then his eyes suddenly brightened, and he asked, “The Death Eater who had me cornered me on the stairs...was that you three?” When she nodded amusedly, he quickly said, “Okay, it's three times then.” Hermione nearly passed out when he added, “Thanks, by the way.” 

Hermione stared at him for several seconds. Eventually Malfoy cleared his throat again, gazing at her expectantly, and she finally managed to gather her wits enough to ask, “Did you really just thank me a minute ago?”

“I did. Don’t get used to it though.” He grinned briefly after trying somewhat unsuccessfully to sneer at her. He quickly turned toward his mother, effectively hiding his face. They remained silent for several minutes, until he finally murmured. “She’s so pale.” Sighing heavily, he took Narcissa's hand in his again, and kissed it gently.

“Becca said they’re monitoring her closely.” Hermione informed him quietly, not wanting to tell him that she had mistaken the older woman for dead earlier. “Are you okay? You look really pale.” Like he'd seen a ghost. She added internally. "Did the healers check you out?"

"I don't want to leave her," he replied immediately, confirming her suspicions that he wasn't well, but was too stubborn to admit it.

“You should at least go get something to eat while she's still sleeping. I’ll let them know where you are,” Hermione promised.

He thought for a moment, then nodded. "I could use a cup of tea, I suppose."

"And a sandwich or something," Hermione added sternly.

"You're worse than her," Malfoy gestured at his mother, then slowly walked out of the room. 

After pulling the cord and letting Becca know where he had gone, Hermione started to drift off to sleep. She suspected the nurse had slipped a calming draught in her tea earlier, but she had been sleeping poorly so she didn't bother to fight it. Yawning, she rolled on her side and snuggled against her pillows, hugging one against her chest t. A few minutes later, she fell fast asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Muggleborns to the rescue!

Hermione didn’t know how long she had been asleep when she was suddenly awoken by a rasping hiss from somewhere to her left. She bolted upright and shrieked in surprise when she found Narcissa sitting up in her bed, staring blankly at Hermione. “Mrs. Malfoy? Are you alright? Do you need the nurse?”

The other witch continued to stare blankly at her for a few seconds, her long, blonde hair stuck limply to her face. Then, she let out a blood-curdling scream, and flopped back on the bed, convulsing violently.

“Becca!” Hermione screamed, tugging hard on the cord to call the nurse. “Becca!”

“What the bloody hell is going on in here?!” Breathing heavily, the older witch ran into the room, took one look at Narcissa thrashing on the bed, and immediately pulled out her wand. She made a few motions with her hand while she muttered something under her breath, and a red light began flashing on and off in mid-air outside the open door, accompanied by a loud ringing sound.

Moments later a team of nurses and healers rushed into the room. Becca pulled the curtains closed around Narcissa's bed, blocking Hermione’s view, but this did nothing to prevent her from hearing the medical team’s efforts to help the woman. Eventually the sound of her thrashing ceased, and Hermione could tell from the soft murmurs on the other side of the curtain that Narcissa was not doing well. After a few more minutes, the crowd of nurses and healers left the room, leaving only Becca behind. 

When the gray haired nurse emerged from behind the closed curtain, Hermione asked, “Is she okay?”

“Yes and no.” Becca answered grimly. “But I can’t really give you details without her family’s permission...” 

“Details about what?” Malfoy’s familiar voice came from the doorway. 

Hermione and Becca exchanged glances, then Becca ushered Malfoy toward his mother's curtain shrouded bed. “Let me just put up a privacy spell...” Becca murmured, shooting an apologetic look at Hermione.

“Never mind that. Just hurry up and tell me what’s going on!” Malfoy barked irritably.

"Your mother is suffering seizures due to the cruciatus curse your father performed on her," Becca informed him sadly. "The seizures and the blood loss she suffered from the slicing curse are weakening her heart. Her healer is looking for a potion that will help stop the seizures without hurting the baby."

Shocked, Hermione sucked in a breath to keep from saying anything.

"Baby?!" Malfoy went paler than Hermione had ever seen him. "What baby? Why didn't anyone say anything about a baby earlier? How can she be...my parents barely look at each other. They don't even sleep in the same bedroom. They haven't for years." His voice cracked, and tears began to roll down his cheeks, but he ignored them. "It must have been one of the Death Eaters. If she's really pregnant, the father is probably a rapist and a killer. Forget about the baby...please just save my mother!"

"If there's a question as to who the father is, we can perform a paternity spell when he's born," Becca said, grimacing slightly. Draco wrinked his nose, but nodded. "I'll make a note in her file." Becca smiled sympathetically. "All I know for sure right now is that there was a glamour in place when she was brought in. It hid the pregnancy when we performed our original diagnostics. She may have had it in place for months, but the seizure disrupted it. We're going to do our very best to save both your mother and your brother."

"Brother? It's a boy?" Malfoy looked interested despite his worry for his mother.

"Yes, and he appears to be quite healthy." Looking very sympathetic, Becca smiled reassuringly and touched his shoulder. "If I could offer some advice, you might want to contact your aunt, Andromeda. I know she and your mother are estranged, but I knew Andi in school, and I'm sure she'll want to help."

Malfoy just shrugged uncertainly and bit his lip, looking completely lost.

Hermione could no longer hold back. "You mean the healers aren't giving her any medication at all just because she's pregnant with the child of someone who might have raped her?" She spluttered angrily. Becca nodded reluctantly and Hermione yelled, "That's horrible! Even if it's Lucius' and she wants the baby, it's going to die too if she doesn't get help soon. I mean, look at her!" She jabbed her finger toward the curtained bed, and tried not to look at Malfoy, afraid of his reaction to her outburst. She was sure he was probably livid at her intrusion into the conversation. 

She needn't have worried. 

"See?! Everyone knows Granger's a bloody genius and she agrees with me!" Malfoy shouted triumphantly. "Get her healer back in here. I want to talk to him. Now!" He added when the nurse just stared between him and Hermione, looking shocked. 

"Of course, Mister Malfoy," Becca mumbled. She bowed slightly before finally fleeing the room.

As soon as she was gone Malfoy disappeared behind the curtains around his mother's bed. Hermione heard the bed springs squeak as he sat down, then the unmistakable sound of him crying softly. 

After a few minutes he sniffled quietly and Hermione nervously cleared her throat. "Have you ever met your aunt Andromeda?" She asked lamely, trying to break the awkward silence.

"No. Have you?" She heard the bed creak, then, moving rather stiffly, he walked back out from behind the curtain. His face looked haggard and exhausted and she suddenly wondered just what Lucius had done to his son before his wife stopped him. She knew better than to ask.

"Yes. She's very nice." Hermione nodded in answer to his question.  
"Do you think she'll help? Until Mum gets better, I mean. I don't know how to take care of a baby. What if it...I mean he lives, but Mum doesn't?" His lip quivered for a moment and he bit down on it, hard. When he released it to continue speaking, Hermione could see dark red marks where he'd nearly broken the skin. "I-is she nice? Andi...she was raised with Aunt Bellatrix, after all."

"Yes, she's nice. She was raised with your mum, too, remember? But she might not be herself right now," Hermione acknowledged reluctantly. "Your cousin just died, you know. Nymphadora." She wiped her eyes as tears began to form at the memory of Tonks and Lupin lying lifelessly, side by side, after the battle. 

"I know. Father was gloating about it before Mum k-killed him." Malfoy mumbled grimly. "She has... she just had a baby, too, right?"

Hermione nodded, "Teddy." She let out a sob at the thought of her friends' child wondering where his mum and dad were. "He's only a month old." Covering her mouth, she struggled to fight back her tears. 

To her surprise, Malfoy sat beside her and awkwardly patted her back. "You were friends...you and Nymphadora, right?"

"She was a member of the Order of the Phoenix." Hermione nodded, wiping her eyes again. "She'd kill you if she heard you call her Nymphadora, though. She went by Tonks. Only Lupin got away with calling her Dora."

Malfoy chuckled softly, then his face crumpled as he started crying again. "What am I going to do? My whole family is either dead or dying! What do I do about this baby? It's part of Mum...what if he survives? I should take care of him right? I don't know anything about babies." He was clearly working himself into a panic, and Hermione wasn't sure how to calm him down. Merlin knew she'd be panicking too, if she was in his situation. 

"I think all you should think about for now is making sure they take good care of your Mum. You shouldn't give up on her yet... you survived that spell, right?" She hated to remind him of the horrible fight he'd had with Harry the year before, but hoped his own survival would give him hope.

Malfoy shrugged one shoulder. "According to my Godfather, Potter didn't really want to kill me, so the spell was weak. Weaker than it could have been, anyway. He said it's the caster's intent that gives the spell strength. I'm afraid my father's intentions weren't as...ambiguous as Potter's. They used the counterspell, but the cuts keep opening up again. And Potter didn't hit me with a 'cruciatus' at the same time."

"Oh," Hermione mumbled, now at a loss as to how to comfort him. It hit her suddenly how strange it was that she'd even want to try to make Draco Malfoy feel better about anything. She had to bite her lip to stifle a nervous laugh. A small noise escaped, but Malfoy must have passed it off as her clearing her throat because he ignored it. 

"Where is Potter anyway?" He asked quietly after another long, awkward silence. "I'd think he'd be here...hovering. Is he off celebrating without you?"

"He's been here all along," Hermione told him a bit defensively. "I made him go home a little while ago to rest. He'll be back soon." Hermione smiled softly, thinking about just how difficult it had been to make Harry leave her. It had ultimately taken threats to admit him for exhaustion from both Becca and Doctor Hart to force him from her side.

"Ah, well that's something to look forward to." Malfoy muttered sarcastically. 

"Please don't start anything with him when he comes back," Hermione pleaded. "Voldemort is gone, your father is gone, your aunt, and Crabbe. Snape. Harry lost his godfather. Dumbledore. Lupin, your cousin, her father, Fred Weasley, Lavender Brown...so many people are gone...can't we just stop fighting?" 

Malfoy flinched at each name she listed, most notably Snape, Dumbledore and Crabbe. "I promise I won't start anything if he doesn't," he promised solemnly, and Hermione could tell he meant it.

"I won't let him," she said, unconsciously crossing her heart. "He won't want to fight with you anyway. Especially once he finds out you're helping with the antidote. And when he hears about your parents and all...he’d leave you alone anyway. He's really not like that."

"What about the weas...er...Weasley?" He asked quietly after a moment. 

"He probably won’t be coming. His brother just died, you know...he's devastated." Hermione sighed. "And he and Lavender used to date, so that was pretty hard on him, too." 

Harry had told her that Ron was pretty much catatonic with grief, and he'd seen their friend staring at a picture of Lavender. Hermione was pretty sure she should be jealous that Lavender's death was hitting him so hard, but she wasn’t. She was just relieved that Harry had survived. The burst of pure joy that had surged within her when she had realized he was really alive...she'd wanted to hold him close and never let him out of her sight again. It wasn't exactly the platonic type of feeling she normally had for him, and it was all a bit confusing. She let out another, longer sigh. 

"I thought the two of you were...together?" Malfoy asked hesitantly. "You and Weasley..." he prompted when she looked at him blankly, her thoughts on when Harry would come back. She missed him already.

"Ron and I? Not really, no." She said, chuckling ruefully. “We kissed once, but that’s it.” She made a face, remembering how awkward and anti-climactic their kiss had been.

Malfoy mumbled something under his breath, but she couldn't make it out so she chose to ignore him. 

Before they could make any further attempts at conversation, one of the healers who had rushed to Narcissa's side earlier, a short, chubby blond man in his mid-thirties, walked into the room. "Mister Malfoy?"

"Yes?" Draco asked, standing up and moving closer to his mother’s side of the room.

"I'm Doctor Wexler. I've been assigned to your mother’s case," he said, holding out his hand. Malfoy shook it briefly before the man continued. "I've been speaking with our legal department about your mother's situation. They've spoken with the Wizengamot," he said, checking a piece of parchment, "Due to the urgency of your mother's condition, it's been decided that both you and your aunt will be allowed to represent her until she regains consciousness." The healer explained quietly. "If she awakens, we'll have to evaluate her ability to make decisions for herself. We're getting the bleeding under control, but we don't really know yet exactly how the Cruciatus might have affected her mentally or emotionally."

"Okay," Draco nodded understandingly. "Does that mean I can order you to just go ahead and treat her seizures now? I know that she's pregnant, but the baby will die if she does, right?"

"Not necessarily. She doesn't look it, because she's a bit malnourished, but the tests show she's over eight months along. The baby could easily survive outside the womb. The problem is that right now your mother's heart is too weak to survive the strain of giving birth. If we induce labor so we can safely treat the seizures, she might die before the baby is delivered," Doctor Wexler sighed. "I'm hoping to find an alternative to the usual anti-seizure potions. One that won't harm the baby. In the meantime, we just have to hope she stabilizes somewhat before she goes into labor."

"What about a c-section?" Hermione asked without thinking. Both Draco and Doctor Wexler gave her blank looks. "Seriously? You don't have those in the wizarding world? Muggles do them all the time...it's how I was delivered for Merlin's sake!"

"Muggle medical techniques are hardly..." the healer began, lifting his nose in the air arrogantly. 

Draco cut him off with a wave of his hand, "What is this section thing?” he demanded of Hermione, “How could it help?"

"Muggle doctors sometimes deliver babies surgically in emergency situations...like when the mother or baby is really sick, or if it's dangerous or not possible for the baby to be delivered naturally. It's quicker, and puts less stress on the mom's system."

"It's barbaric!" The healer interjected.

"It saves lives!" Hermione argued. “What do you usually do in situations like this? Let the mother and baby both die?"

Doctor Wexler scowled darkly. "Mister Malfoy, this is ridiculous. I know Miss Granger here is supposed to be a very intelligent witch, but she is not a medical professional-"

"It sounds like she knows what she's talking about to me." Draco sneered at the shorter man. "Do you not know how to perform this section thing? Is that the problem?"

Doctor Wexler frowned for a moment, then reluctantly shook his head. "No. It's not something we normally do here, after all."

"But it has been done here?" Draco asked eagerly. The healer nodded reluctantly, "By a muggle born healer, maybe?" Draco smirked knowingly.

The healer sighed impatiently and rolled his eyes. "Well, yes, Doctor Jones has performed three. But-"

"No buts...get this Doctor Jones here now and have him do it or I'm going to transfer her to a muggle hospital that will!" Draco snapped. 

"But-" the healer started.

"Did I stutter?" Draco asked coldly, staring the older man down. The healer sputtered a few times, then nodded stiffly and left the room. As soon as he was gone Draco let out a deep sigh and sat down on the chair beside Hermione’s bed. He ducked his head and buried his hands in his hair and Hermione realized he was hyperventilating. 

"Are you okay?" She asked gently after a moment or two.

"No," he muttered. "Believe it or not, I hate confrontations. I hate having to boss people around. My father expected it of me, but it's really not me." He lifted his head and smiled sheepishly at her.

Hermione stared at him for a moment. "But you're so good at it!" She blurted thoughtlessly. 

He let out a short laugh. "Years of practice...but I usually have a panic attack after the fact." He admitted ruefully. 

"Wow. You hide it well." Hermione smiled teasingly and he snorted.

"Gee...thanks." He rolled his eyes, then gazed silently at the curtains around his mother's bed for a long while. "You really think this muggle section thing will work?"

"It'll get the baby out of her without straining her heart too much. I think it's their best shot." Hermione shrugged. "Like I said, I was delivered that way. My mom had really high blood pressure near the end of her pregnancy. She was in the hospital and they just couldn't bring it down. Then it went even higher, and they had to get me out quickly. We both ended up fine, though."

Draco bit his lip thoughtfully. "I do care what happens to the baby. I didn't mean to sound like I want him to die...I'm just more worried about her." He rose, crossed to Narcissa's bed and pulled back the curtain. She looked even paler than she had earlier, which Hermione wouldn't have thought possible. "I'm going to have a baby brother. I always wanted one when I was younger, but I'm almost 18 years older. We won't have anything in common. What if he doesn't like me?"

"You're his big brother. He'll adore you," Hermione assured him.

"I hope so." Draco murmured anxiously. 

Hermione wondered when she'd started thinking of him as 'Draco' rather than just 'Malfoy'. Their relationship had clearly shifted at some point, and, surprisingly, it wasn't a bad thing. When he wasn’t trying to torment her, he was remarkably thoughtful and well spoken. Not to mention that he had shown a great deal of compassion, agreeing to help her like he had, despite their history.

The two lapsed into silence while waiting for Doctor Wexler to find Doctor Jones, and Hermione eventually drifted off to sleep yet again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: I made a slight change to the dialogue to try to clear up some weird confusion. Not ALL babies are paternity tested. That would just be weird and kinda creepy. The test is reserved for special cases where the father is unknown, just like with us muggles.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here comes the ridiculousness! It always bugged me in the OotP movie...I love Gary Oldman, but he still looked alive to me after getting hit by Bella's Avada. Especially compared to how everyone else hit by the Avada always just goes flying or drops like a ton of bricks! Therefore, I have to blame this nonsense on him. Oh...and also the seven princes in the movie "Stardust". I totally picture the Black family acting like them. Lol

Hermione woke up to someone gently shaking her. "'Mi, are you okay? Wake up, Hermione! Your arm's bleeding again!" Harry's welcome voice urged. She slowly opened her eyes and found him perched on the side of her bed, looking rather frantic.

"Harry?" She blinked up at him groggily, rubbed the sleep out of her eyes and looked around confusedly. The other bed was empty and there was no sign of Draco. "Where is everyone? Did something happen?"

"Everyone?" Harry asked distractedly as he reached behind her to tug on the bell cord. She smiled when she noticed that the dark circles under his eyes seemed to have faded a bit since she’d last seen him. Thank Merlin, he seemed to have finally gotten some rest.

"I have a roommate now," Hermione explained, being deliberately vague. She wasn't sure how well Harry was going to take the news that she was sharing a room with a Malfoy. “I wonder if they took her to surgery.”

"I dunno, I haven't talked to Becca yet. I came straight to your room and there was no one else here." Harry shrugged. "How are you feeling?" He asked, worriedly eying the blood stained bandages on her arm. Hermione could tell by the throbbing in her bicep that the poison had worked its way further up her arm. 

"Um, it’s about the same,” She lied, not wanting to upset him. “But I have good news." She smiled happily and grabbed his hand. "Draco Malfoy found the recipe for the poison Bellatrix used on me. It was in Lucius' study at Malfoy Manor. The potion lab is brewing the antidote as we speak."

"What? Do you really trust him?" Harry asked dubiously, his green eyes darkening slightly. "What if it's a trick? 

"Yeah, I do. He swore a Wizard’s Oath that he’s not trying to hurt me. And he's none too fond of his dearly departed aunt and father right now, trust me..." Hermione muttered. When Harry raised an eyebrow in confusion, she said, "Lucius attacked him this morning. He thinks it was because he didn't let Crabbe kill Ron and I in the Room of Requirement,” Harry winced at her words and opened his mouth, but she went on before he could say anything, “Narcissa stopped him just in time, and killed Lucius, but he hit her with 'Sectumsempra' and the 'Cruciatus' first. She's in really bad shape."

"Bloody hell!" Harry exclaimed, his eyes wide. "How come no one outside the hospital's mentioned anything about it? I saw today's Prophet while I was at home." He frowned thoughtfully for a second, then asked, "Wait...don't tell me Narcissa is your new roommate?"

"Good guess." Hermione nodded.

Harry frowned anxiously. "They couldn't put her somewhere else? Her sister is the one who put you in here!"

"There are no other beds left." Hermione shrugged. "What could I say? She's half-dead and Draco's a wreck."

"Bloody hell." Harry murmured, looking horrified. "I never thought I'd say this, but...poor Malfoy."

"You told him?" They both turned quickly and found Draco standing in the doorway. He'd changed into a baggy green t-shirt rather than the rumpled pajama top he'd had on earlier, but his hair was still a mess and he looked exhausted. Hermione held her breath, expecting an explosion, but all the blond said was, "Becca will be right in. She was drawing my blood for the antidote when you rang the bell...she's just taking it down to the potion lab. Hello, Potter." He added as an obvious afterthought as he moved further into the room and sat on Narcissa's empty bed. He immediately began gnawing on his lower lip, looking distinctly uncomfortable. 

"Thanks," Hermione smiled shyly at him, knowing that Harry was staring at her without even having to look. "Where's your mother?"

"They're finally doing that section thing." Draco answered. "They had to get permission from the Wizengamot first, just to cover their arses. Doctor Jones said Mum is lucky you were here to suggest it. That other guy, Wexler, is notorious for ignoring muggle techniques. You probably saved her life." He smiled gratefully at her, then resumed chewing his lip.

Harry looked back and forth between them, then opened and closed his mouth a few times. Curiosity finally got the better of him and he asked, "Section? As in cesarean section?" Hermione nodded and his eyes widened. "She's pregnant?"

"Don't go there, Harry." Hermione muttered warningly. 

"But...Lucius cursed her?” Harry wrinkled his nose disgustedly. 

"He probably didn't know she was pregnant,” Draco whispered miserably, “She was hiding it. I had no idea." 

Harry grimaced. "I-I'm sorry. That's awful. She seems nice. I mean...she saved my life...I really hope she recovers." Hermione wondered if Draco even knew what his mother had done for Harry.

Draco stared at Harry for a moment, but then just nodded slightly, mumbling, "Thanks."

Suddenly, there was a commotion in the hallway and Becca bustled into the room, pushing a small bassinet on wheels. It was almost identical to the ones used in muggle hospitals, but it looked like it was carved from a single piece of wood, and there was almost no metal except in the wheels. The clear side panels appeared to be made of glass rather than the plastic muggles normally used.

Draco immediately jumped to his feet. "Is that-" he took a tentative step forward, staring into the bassinet. 

"Draco Malfoy, meet your baby brother." The nurse smiled happily. "Your mum is in recovery and doing just fine. I'll bring you in to see her after the sedative wears off. Doctor Jones plans to wait and wake her in a few hours so she can get some rest."

"What about her seizures?" Draco asked, his eyes glued on the tiny occupant of the bassinet. 

"They've already started administering the potion," Becca reassured him. Moving around to the side of the bassinet, she learned over and lifted the small, blanket wrapped bundle into her arms. "Do you want to hold him?"

Draco hesitated, then nodded. Becca smiled and deposited the tiny infant into his older brother's arms. "Did they perform the spell to see who his father is yet?" He asked, staring intently at the baby's face. 

Becca winced visibly. Taking a deep breath she announced. "It wasn't your father."

"It wasn't?" Draco looked up, his expression somewhat conflicted. "Who then?" 

"Severus Snape," Becca murmured. Hesitating, she added, "We haven't recorded the birth with the Ministry yet..."

Hermione gasped and felt Harry go rigid beside her. They exchanged shocked looks and turned slowly toward Draco. 

He stared at Becca for a few seconds, then he surprised everyone by smiling softly and kissing the baby's forehead. "Good. Godfather would never hurt my mother. I always sort of suspected there might be something between them." Kissing the infant again, he sighed with relief. "Thank Merlin he isn't Father's."

Hermione watched Draco clumsily cuddling his new sibling in his arms, and smiled. Who would ever have thought that Draco Malfoy would actually be relieved that his only brother was less than pure blood and illegitimate. A light touch on her shoulder distracted her. 

"I need to change your bandage, sweetheart," Becca said quietly, helping her sit up straighter.

Harry immediately stood up and walked over to Draco and the baby, leaning over to get a closer look. Hermione sighed softly. After all he'd been through in the last few years, he couldn't stand the sight of blood. Granted, the open wounds on her arm were nasty enough to make most people queasy. 

When Becca cut the old bandage and unwrapped her arm, Hermione had to look away herself. More of the skin around the original cuts had disintegrated, exposing a terrifying amount of muscle and even a glimpse of what she thought might be bone. The area of red and peeling skin had spread over halfway up her upper arm and the blackened veins now reached within a centimeter of her shoulder. Her left hand was now turning red almost down to her fingers. "Oh my god..." Hermione whimpered, breathing hard as her heart rate skyrocketed. "Oh gods..."

"Shhhhh," Becca crooned soothingly. "Once the poison is neutralized William will be able to heal all of this...don't you worry about that. That boy's a wonder." Working quickly, the older witch cleaned the area, cast a long lasting numbing spell and re-wrapped her arm and hand. "There you go. You won't have to worry much longer about dealing with that. Only seven hours to go." 

"I slept that long?" Hermione asked incredulously. "What time is it?"

"About half past ten. We figured you needed the rest." Becca smiled sympathetically and patted her on the shoulder.

Hermione laid back against her pillows, chewing her lip anxiously. She didn't want to admit it, but she felt so tired she'd assumed she'd only slept for an hour or two, tops. She was beginning to feel nauseated, as well. "Something's wrong." She whispered finally, realizing that Becca needed to know. "I feel a lot weaker...I'm really tired and sick to my stomach now. And you saw my arm...it's spreading a lot faster now, isn't it?"

Becca hesitated, then nodded reluctantly and Hermione burst into tears. "Oh, sweetheart...don't give up hope. There's the antidote brewing, and if it starts to look like that won't be ready in time, there's still time..."

"It's almost in my shoulder already. There isn't enough time!" Hermione sobbed. She was vaguely aware that Harry had moved to sit beside her and Draco was hovering anxiously in the background, clutching his brother to his chest. 

"I'm going to go speak with Doctor Hart." Becca said, gathering up her things. "Don't give up hope, dear. I have a feeling everything is going to be fine, and my feelings are never wrong, you hear me?" With that she nodded emphatically and marched out of the room. 

Harry immediately sat down and wrapped his arms carefully around Hermione. He began rocking her gently in his arms until she managed to get her tears somewhat under control. "C'mon, 'Mi...you heard her. Please don't cry. Look at the baby...he's adorable. He looks kind of like Teddy. They're cousins, y'know."

Hermione sniffled and took a few deep breaths. Harry placed his handkerchief in her right hand and released her, giving her a few moments to wipe her eyes and blow her nose. 

Finally, she cleared her throat and turned toward Draco, who was standing a few feet away with the baby in his arms, looking remarkably concerned. "Can I see him?" Hermione asked quietly, desperately wanting to avoid thinking about the subject of her health for just a little while longer.

"Of course. You saved his life, after all." Draco smiled warmly at her.

Blushing at his praise, she lowered her eyes to her lap, picking at her blanket. "I just suggested something any muggle-born or half-blood would know about."

"Maybe, but you're the one who spoke up when that moron was willing to just let them both die. You, not just any muggle-born or half-blood. So, thank you, Gr-Hermione." 

Shocked at hearing her name from his lips, she gasped and looked up to find him gazing expectantly at her as he held the baby out for her to get a better look. "It was really...." Hermione started to say 'nothing' until she saw the baby's tiny, red face and realized she couldn't say saving this little boy was nothing. "I'm glad I was here." She smiled adoringly as the baby's eyes blinked open and he seemed to look right at her. "He's so cute!" She cooed, reaching out and stroking his tiny cheek. The infant turned toward her finger and began smacking his lips. "Uh oh...I think he's hungry..."

"I'll go ask the nurses for a bottle," Harry offered, sliding off the bed and hurrying out of the room.

As soon as he was gone, Draco cleared his throat and sat in Harry's place. Staring down at his brother, clearly in awe, he said, “He’s beautiful.”

“He is,” Hermione agreed, glancing at Draco out of the corner of her eye. “He looks a little like his father,” she mused, shifting her gaze to the little boy in his arms. Unlike his mother and brother, the baby had a full head of jet black curls, and his eyes were a bright, almost cobalt blue rather than the usual blue-gray of most newborn babies she had seen.

“He does,” Draco nodded, “But his hair could be from my Mum’s side of the family. Most of the Blacks have dark hair. Don’t tell anyone, but Mum uses a glamour.” He grinned slightly.

Hermione giggled, “I wondered...her sisters both have such dark hair.” Reaching over, she stroked the baby’s hair, finding it incredibly soft and silky, “What should we call him? Until your mum wakes up and names him, I mean.”

“I hadn't thought about it,” Draco shrugged. “We should probably give him some sort of nickname, though. Just until she wakes up. I'd hate to just call him ‘the baby’ or ‘hey, you,’ until his mum wakes up, whenever that is.”

“How about...Merv,” Hermione suggested after a moment. “Short for Merveille...it’s the French word for-”

“Miracle,” Draco finished for her with a smile. “Okay, I like it. But we’re not letting her really name him that. It’s cute for a baby, but no one should be stuck with it their whole life.” He chuckled and Hermione nodded.

Just then, Doctor Hart walked into the room. “Oh good, you’re both here.” He smiled and leaned over to look at Merv. “I should say all three of you. Congratulations, Mister Malfoy. He’s adorable,” 

“Thanks.” Draco smiled proudly at his brother. “What do you mean by ‘we’re both here?’” 

The healer cleared his throat, looking a bit nervous. "Well, I didn't want to say anything in front of Mister Potter, but we realized that there's a way to speed up the antidote. Our Head Potion Master has also suggested a rather radical way to slow down the spread of poison. To basically stop it in its tracks until the antidote is ready." 

Hermione opened her mouth and he quickly held up a finger to silence her, "Before you get too excited," he paused, rubbing his neck uncomfortably, "...you might prefer to lose your arm rather than follow his suggestion. It’s a pretty major life decision, and you’re not the only person who would be affected by it." 

Hermione raised her eyebrows and glanced at Draco, who was now frowning suspiciously. "I'm listening," she said slowly, bracing herself for whatever was coming.

"Well...first of all, with antidotes like this...ones requiring the blood of the person who brewed the original poison...in the absence of the original brewer's blood, the more members of the brewer's family who donate blood for the antidote, the more effective it will be and the faster it can be brewed. If one can use blood from at least five family members, it is as if the brewer has given their own." 

"Five members? That's impossible. Draco’s mum is too sick. His aunt Andromeda would probably help, but the only other relatives Bellatrix has are Teddy and this guy, and I'm not taking blood from newborn babies!"

"We don't have to draw blood from Narcissa or this little guy." Doctor Hart smiled reassuringly as he gestured at the baby. "Doctor Jones saved the blood from his umbilical cord just in case we could make use of it. Cord blood counts...magically speaking...as the blood of both the mother and child.” He smiled sympathetically at Draco, then continued, “I’ve already Floo'd Mrs. Tonks, and she is on her way here with her grandson as we speak." Hermione opened her mouth to object, but he cut her off again. "All it takes is a single drop. A pin prick. She agreed immediately. She said her daughter and son-in-law spoke very highly of you, and would want her to help you."

Hermione thought it over, her eyes filling with tears. "Okay," she agreed reluctantly. "But how much time will that give us?"

"It should speed up the brewing time by about two hours." The healer smiled weakly.

Hermione's heart sank as she pictured the black veins that already reached nearly to her shoulder. Even if the potion only took another five hours to complete, at the rate the poison was spreading, it was going to reach her heart long before the antidote was finished. "That's not enough time." She whispered miserably. Draco shocked her by reaching over and patting her right hand.

Doctor Hart looked back and forth between them and smiled again. Nodding for no apparent reason, he took a deep breath and said, "That brings me to the more controversial part of the Potion Master’s suggestion." He swallowed audibly, beginning to look very nervous. 

"Go on," Hermione cocked her head questioningly, suddenly worried by Doctor Hart’s behavior. What on earth was he so nervous about?

"After he started brewing the antidote, Augustus, the Potion Master, decided to study the rest of the book. According to some notes he found in the book, a few hundred years back, the London branch of the Black family nearly killed themselves off due to fighting between a few of the younger men over a young woman.” 

Upon hearing this, Draco snorted scornfully. "Idiots!" 

Doctor Hart nodded slightly, then went on, “Eventually, three of the six male heirs ended up dead, along with a little girl who just got into the wrong box of sweets. Fed up with losing her grandchildren to such idiotic behavior, the Matriarch of the Black family put a curse...well, it's not really a curse, I suppose...on the entire family. No Black can kill another member of the family. " Draco suddenly sat up straighter, his posture tense. 

"That's not true. Bellatrix killed Sirius." Hermione pointed out. "They're both Blacks."

"But Father said Sirius was still alive when he fell into that Veil thing," Draco said, shaking his head slightly. "He mentioned it at his trial because he was trying to argue that the Death Eaters hadn't really hurt anyone. He absolutely insisted that Sirius was still alive after Aunt Bella cursed him, but then he stepped back through the arch...that’s what killed him."

Hermione thought about it for a moment. It had always struck her as a little strange...the way Sirius had stayed on his feet and seemed to turn toward Harry after being hit by his cousin’s curse. Hermione hadn't been in a position where she could see his face, but the long pause before he staggered backwards and disappeared into the arch had seemed like it had lasted a little too long. She hated to agree with Lucius, but in light of this new information, his claim did make sense.

"Okay, so...assuming members of the Black family can't kill each other directly, what does that have to do with me?"

"The curse...charm...I'm not sure how to classify the spell...it specifically included poisons in the killing methods that were prevented. Because of the little girl, I imagine. The spell affects all direct descendants of the Black family and their spouses, as long as they were married using traditional binding rites." Doctor Hart's voice trailed off as he finished explaining. He gazed anxiously at Hermione’s face while he let this sink in. 

Hermione stared at him blankly for a moment, then blinked. He couldn’t possibly be suggesting..."You mean...you want me to...marry...Draco?!"


	6. Chapter 6

Doctor Hart nodded cautiously, looking like he was afraid one or both of them might hit him, which Hermione was seriously considering. "No way. No!" She shook her head. "Can't Andromeda or Narcissa just adopt me or something?"

"If you were underage that might work, but you're almost 19, correct?" He asked. She nodded reluctantly. "You're too old." He shook his head regretfully. "It'd have to be marriage, and I’m afraid Draco is the only unmarried member of the Black family who is currently old enough to marry."

Hermione began gnawing on her lip, thinking frantically. "So, we could just get it annulled later, right?" She asked hopefully. She noticed that Draco had yet to say anything about this and glanced over at him curiously. He was staring at her intently, but his expression gave her no clue as to what he was thinking.

He finally spoke several seconds later. "Granger, traditional marriage rites in the wizarding world are magically binding. Which means they're unbreakable. Permanent. And the marriage must be..." Trailing off, he blushed and looked down at the baby in his arms, clearly afraid to complete his sentence. 

"The marriage has to be consummated," Doctor Hart mumbled rather fearfully.

"Consummated?" Hermione yelped, causing the baby to whimper. Lowering her voice, she angrily hissed, "No way! Forget it!" She glared at Doctor Hart, furious that he'd even suggest such a thing. 

He flinched away from her, raising his hands in front of him defensively. "I understand." He sighed, "I just thought you should know the option was...well...an option. I warned you that you'd probably rather lose your arm." He smiled weakly, but it didn't reach his eyes. “Speaking of which, I’m afraid we’ll need to start preparations for the amputation as soon as possible. As you know, the poison is spreading rapidly, and we’ll need to proceed very quickly in order to stop it in time.” He frowned regretfully and turned to leave.

Hermione moaned fearfully, and realized Draco still had his hand on hers when he suddenly tightened his grip. “No.” He said firmly, shaking his head at the healer.

“What?” Hermione and Doctor Hart both asked confusedly.

Looking Hermione in the eye, Draco said, “I said 'no'. I have to marry you. I took an oath. I can’t let you lose your arm.”

"The Wizard's Oath!" She gasped. Her heart started pounding in her chest and she could hear her blood rushing past her ears. She worried briefly that she might actually faint. "You have to..."

“Yes,” Draco nodded stiffly. "It will be alright. I know the...the...consummating bit is highly awkward, at best, but once that's over we wouldn't have to do it again. We don't even have to live together. If I remember correctly, you just have to live in a home that I own, or that we own together."

“That would work,” Doctor Hart spoke up, “But magically binding marriages are also strictly exclusive. Neither of you would ever be able to have a sexual relationship with anyone else.” Rubbing the back of his neck, he mumbled, "I suspect that's why traditional rites are rarely used anymore..." 

Hermione frowned thoughtfully, then turned to Draco. "That's not really fair to you...I'd get to keep my arm, but you'd get nothing. You could never be with someone you actually care about." Hermione was having a hard time accepting that aspect of the whole thing herself. She had a sudden mental picture of Harry smiling at her, and felt like she'd been punched in the stomach. Nothing may have ever come from her newly acknowledged feelings for him, but if she did this, she'd never know.

"But, I'd get to keep my magic," Draco was saying quietly, his words filling her with guilt. "And I'd also get to redeem myself a little. Make up for the way I've treated you in the past. It would make me feel a tiny bit less guilty for just standing there like an arsehole while my aunt did that to you." He gestured at her arm as his eyes suddenly welled up with tears. "I should have stopped her, but I knew Vold...HE was going to show up sooner rather than later, and I was too scared. I knew if she didn’t kill me for interfering, he definitely would. I was just too scared to help you then," he confessed in a rush. "Please let me do this for you. I swear I won't interfere in your life any more than necessary. You don't even have to see me again after you leave the hospital."

Hermione sat in stunned silence. Finally, she shook her head. "The Oath can't force you to do this if I don't want you to. I know you don't want to be stuck in a loveless marriage just to save my damn arm! There's still time to amputate. You don't even like me!"

Draco sighed. "Obviously I like you a little bit or I wouldn't have offered to help in the first place." He smiled weakly for a moment, then went on. "Also...unless I marry someone of my own choosing before my 18th birthday, which is next month, by the way, I have to marry Astoria Greengrass. Our fathers arranged the contract years ago, and she's a brainless slag. I'd much rather marry someone like you. You're intelligent and caring. You're very passionate about the things you believe in. If I have to get married, I'd prefer that she at least be someone decent, not some spoiled, thoughtless, opinionless China doll. So you would be doing something for me in return. Please, Gr...Hermione." He begged, gazing imploringly at her. "Please."

Hermione stared at him in disbelief. "You're serious." She realized aloud. She'd met Astoria Greengrass, and wouldn't wish the brainless twit on her worst enemy. Literally. This was Draco Malfoy after all.

Doctor Hart cleared his throat. "I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but given the nature of Draco's oath, as long as you are in any danger from the poison, if there is anything he can do to prevent further harm, he has to do so or he will lose his magic. Unwelcome fiancees and your preferences in the matter are both kind of moot points..."

Hermione slowly let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. "O-okay. Fine," she whispered breathlessly, feeling a bit dizzy. Draco's head, which had begun to droop at the healer's words, shot back up. "I have conditions though." She held up her hand to silence him before he could speak. "I'm not letting you buy a house for me. I don't want your money."

"But you have to live in a home that I own." He reminded her. 

"I'll give you the money to buy it. My family is more wealthy than you probably think." Hermione smirked proudly when he raised a questioning eyebrow. Well....that's if she could find them, but she wasn’t going to go into that right now. "And...I don't think I'd want to never see you again. If I let you do this, I think we should at least try to be friends, don't you?"

"Alright," he replied quickly, nodding agreeably and smiling faintly. "I think I'd like that."

"We should probably talk to a lawyer or something." Hermione chewed her lip nervously. "Maybe we shouldn't-"

"Stop worrying." Draco patted her hand. 

"This is crazy." She mumbled, shaking her head.

"Absolutely." He chuckled bitterly . 

"What's crazy?" Harry asked, walking into the room with a baby bottle and a clean white burp cloth and holding them out to Draco.

"It's about time, Potter. Did you milk the cow yourself?" Draco winked to take the edge off his words as he accepted the bottle. He fumbled a bit before finally getting Merv to begin eating. 

Harry gave him a strange look. "What's gotten into you?" He asked suspiciously. "You're in a good mood..."

"He just acquired an adorable baby brother. Who wouldn’t be in a good mood?" Hermione blurted before Draco could reply, hoping the blond would keep his mouth shut. All she needed was a few minutes so she could break the bad news to Harry herself. She started to panic. What if he hated her forever? Maybe she could put off telling him until after the fact...

No such luck. "GrangerandIaregettingmarried," Draco announced casually, though he was talking far too fast, and deliberately avoided looking at either Harry or Hermione. She realized he, too, was having another panic attack. At least they had one thing in common.

Harry laughed. "Yeah, that'll be the day." He snorted softly. 

"Um...actually..." Hermione began nervously. Her breath seemed stuck in her lungs, and she couldn't get the rest of the words out.

Harry stared at her in horror. "Yeah right...as if." She nodded miserably and he took a half step back. "You're kidding. You've got to be kidding. That's not even funny!" His voice was getting higher and louder with each word, and the betrayed look in his eyes nearly broke Hermione's heart.

"No, really," she finally managed to whisper. "Today." 

Harry stared at her in horror, then turned on Draco in a fury and yelled, "What the hell did you do to her Malfoy?" Merv stopped drinking and screamed. 

Draco scowled as he tried to calm the frightened infant. "That's nice, Potter. A little advice...even I know you don't scream at people who are holding small children."

Harry spun back toward Hermione. "'Mi!" He hissed his nickname for her furiously. "You can't do this!" he whispered pleadingly.

Draco sighed as he finally got the baby to resume eating. “This wasn’t our idea, it was his...” He jabbed his chin in the direction of Doctor Hart, who Hermione realized had been quietly listening to their whole conversation. "Since there's a solution to her problem, I'm magically bound to make it happen. She has to marry a member of the Black family to keep the poison from killing her, and I'm the only one available."

“It’s true, Mister Potter. Hermione marrying Draco is the only way to halt the poison’s progress long enough to finish the antidote. Otherwise, we’ll have to amputate her arm, and I'm not entirely sure that will even save her life at this point.” Glancing at his watch, he said, “If we’re going to do this, we should do it as soon as possible...we really need to act before the poison spreads much further. Luckily, my oldest brother is a High Priest in the Sacred Brotherhood of Merlin. I’ll go Floo him immediately.” He bowed slightly and left the room, looking eager to get away from the angry black-haired wizard.

Harry opened and closed his mouth, then shot Hermione a beseeching look, his eyes wet with tears. "'Mi?" His voice cracked, and Hermione choked back a sob.

“We’re doing it, Harry. It helps Draco, too. Please trust me,” She murmured pleadingly. "If there was any other way..."

“How could this possibly help ‘Draco’?” Harry mimicked her sarcastically. “He hates you. You hate him.”

"Just sit, Harry," she mumbled, unable to look him in the eye. It was killing her, but she knew she had to do this. She didn't want to die and she couldn't let Draco lose his magic. This was partially her fault, anyway, because she hadn't trusted him when he'd tried to help with the antidote. She couldn’t blame Harry for being disgusted with her.She wasn’t crazy enough to expect any of her friends to approve. 

Harry shook his head dazedly, but obediently sat down on the room's one rickety chair. "This is completely fucked up," he grumbled irritably, leaning forward, his elbows on his knees, and clutching his hair in both hands.

"It is," Draco agreed, far too calmly. A few minutes later the baby stopped drinking and began to fall asleep. 

"Don't let him fall asleep without burping him," Hermione warned Draco. 

"I don't know how," he admitted sheepishly. 

"Shocking," Harry muttered sarcastically. "I hope you two aren’t planning to have lots of kids."

"Shut up, Harry." Hermione snapped, fighting back tears when she realized that by marrying Draco, she was giving up the possibility of having kids some day. The thought left her cold. She’d always pictured herself with at least two or three children, but that was completely out of the question now.

"It's up to her." Draco's response made her turn toward him so fast it made her neck ache. He shrugged. "Well, it could happen. Adoption or something." He shrugged again, then his eyes widened in alarm. "Fuck...go get the nurse, Potter!" He jumped up and set Merv down in his bassinet. "Hurry!"

Harry glanced over at Hermione and also jumped to his feet, leaving the room without arguing. “Becca!” Hermione heard him yelling down the hall. 

"What's wrong?" She asked Draco confusedly. 

"Just stay calm. You're gonna be fine," he said in a very unconvincing manner, considering his eyes were wide with fright. "We just need to put a major rush on this wedding."

Hermione looked down at her arm. The new bandage was already soaked with blood again, along with the shoulder of her nightgown. "Oh no..." She started shaking her head in a panic. "No!"

"Calm down, Hermione. Please calm down. You need to keep your heart rate down or it'll just spread faster," Draco said. Scooting closer to her, he took her right hand in his and squeezed. "Listen to me...we can stop this, remember? All we need is the priest and, uh...a little time."

"It's spreading so fast now!" She gasped, beginning to hyperventilate.

"We'll just move faster." He squeezed her hand again. "I promise, Hermione."

Suddenly, several people burst into the room...first Becca and Doctor Hart, followed by Harry, and then a very tired looking Andromeda Tonks, who was carrying Teddy in her arms. Draco jumped up and rushed to speak with the healer while Becca helped Andromeda lay Teddy, who was sound asleep, on Narcissa's bed. The two women carefully placed pillows around him and raised the side railing to be sure he couldn't roll off. Harry scowled darkly at Draco and also began speaking animatedly to the healer in a low voice. 

Becca soon hurried to Hermione's side. "Oh, luv...oh my." The nurse tsked anxiously as she examined Hermione’s arm. 

"It's alright." Hermione mumbled. "Doctor Hart has a plan. Oh, Andromeda, the other baby needs to be burped. Draco didn't know how." She smiled weakly at the older brunette, who nodded and wasted no time in picking up her new nephew. After kissing him on the forehead, she rested him gently on her shoulder and began patting him on the back, softly crooning a lullaby.

"Men." Becca muttered as she slowly peeled back the bandages. "Oh Merlin..." she breathed, grimacing for the first time since she'd begin caring for Hermione. "William? You need to see this!" She called shakily. 

"How bad is it?" Hermione whispered, too scared to look. 

"It's bad, Luv." Becca murmured thickly. 

Hermione realized the older woman was crying. "Seriously, Becca...I'll be okay. We just need Doctor Hart’s brother. Hevs a priest." 

She couldn't believe she was actually going to do this, but she knew without a doubt that more than just Draco's magic and her arm was on the line now. Amputation was no longer an option. She just hoped Doctor Hart was right and the Black family anti-killing spell really worked. At least if it didn't, she wouldn't be stuck married to Draco for long. The thought made her whimper quietly, but Becca removed her old bandage just then and didn't seem to notice.

"I'm afraid I'm not a big believer in the power of prayer." The nurse chuckled bitterly. 

"Neither am I, but how do you feel about the power of blood magic?" Hermione whispered a bit giddily. She noticed her words seemed a bit slurred, and rubbed her forehead. "I feel funny..." she mumbled shaking her head in an attempt to clear it. 

"Oh no you don't, Granger. No passing out. You need to stay awake for this." Draco ordered firmly, coming up beside her and taking her right hand. "Doctor Hart’s brother is on his way. Just stay with us a little longer."

"Miss Granger...I need you to drink this. It will help stabilize your condition. You've lost a lot of blood." Doctor Hart handed her a small vial full of clear pink liquid. "My brother should be here soon. I’m sorry there’s nothing else we can do."

"It's okay." Hermione mumbled. She carefully drank the contents of the vial and frowned when her head immediately felt even lighter. "What is this?" She asked suspiciously. 

"It's blood replenisher...and veritaserum," Doctor Hart replied guilty. "After speaking with Harry, I realized that a lot of people are going to question your decision to marry Draco. So, for the record, are you sure you want to go through with this marriage?" 

"No! You drugged me? Oh my gods!" Hermione snarled at the three men. "How could you?" She glared at Harry, knowing this was most likely his idea. 

"Hermione, you're a war hero and I'm the son of a Death Eater. There are a lot of people who will be upset about this. This way, no one can say you were forced to do it." Draco pointed out quietly. "Just answer the question...would you rather marry me or die?" He visibly braced himself, though she wasn't sure if it was against her outrage at being drugged or against her possible rejection and the loss of his magic.


	7. Chapter 7

"Wait...what?" Andromeda interjected confusedly, still gently patting Marv's back. "I thought there was an antidote..."

Hermione gave Draco a pleading look, not really wanting to have to explain the situation again. He just shrugged back, looking equally reluctant. They both turned hopefully toward Doctor Hart. 

Just as the healer opened his mouth to reply, Harry spoke up, his voice rough and angry. "Well, brewing it's taking too long. But, fortunately, your ancestors couldn't resist killing each other, so your great great great something had to put a spell on the whole lot to prevent them from murdering each other into extinction. Because of that spell, Hermione could marry a Black to stop your sister's poison from killing her. Being the only single adult member of the Black family available, Draco has graciously volunteered." As he spoke, Harry grew visibly more upset, spitting the last sentence like it, itself was poison. 

"Harry..." Hermione began quietly, reaching for his hand. She was starting to wonder if it might be worth taking the risk of dying just to get rid of the hurt look in his eyes. "I'm so sorry, Harry. I don't want to do this. I love you." She gasped and covered her mouth. She heard Draco grunt somewhere behind her. Ignoring him, and unable to fight the veritaserum, she said, "I wish there was some other way...I'd rather die than hurt you, Harry."

"No!" He flinched away from her violently. His eyes welled with tears again and Hermione's stomach sank. "Don't say that. I can't let you die...you can't die...I-." He looked back and forth between Hermione and Draco, glanced briefly at her arm, then let out a choked sort of gasping moan, spun on his heel and bolted from the room. 

Andromeda blinked, then shifted her gaze to Hermione and calmly said, "I've heard rumors of the protective enchantment my great, great, great, great,...whatever...assuming my ancestor's enchantment is still in place, why in the world don't you just marry Harry? It seems like he'd be willing..." It didn't seem like a rhetorical question, but Hermione was still too stunned by her own involuntary confession and Harry's abrupt departure to completely grasp what had just been said.

"But he's not a Black. Is he?" Draco asked, looking entirely too hopeful for Hermione not to feel at least a little offended. She felt a jolt of excitement when his aunt's words fully penetrated the fog currently surrounding her brain. 

Andromeda turned swiftly to Becca and said, "Bex, go bring Harry back here before he remembers he's a wizard and apparates somewhere. Hurry!" Something in her tone made the other woman obey without question. After the nurse was gone, Andromeda turned to Hermione. "Sweetheart, Draco isn't the only unmarried adult in the Black family. You can marry Harry if you'd both prefer."

Hermione frowned, still feeling a little muddled. "Um...back up just a minute. Are you suggesting it because Sirius was Harry's godfather? I'm not sure if that counts."

"No," Andromeda shook her head, looking amused. "I'm suggesting it because Harry is a Black. His paternal grandmother was Dorea Black Potter. She was my great aunt. Harry is a Black by blood, if not by name, just like Draco."

Hermione turned to Doctor Hart. "If I marry Harry, will Draco still lose his magic to the oath?" she asked.

"As long as you're out of danger, his oath is fulfilled." Doctor Hart replied. "The oath shouldn't hold it against him if someone else helps save you. He'd only be penalized if you died and he didn’t do whatever he could to prevent it."

There was a long silence, then... "Oh, thank Merlin!" Hermione and Draco exclaimed in unison, then looked at each other and laughed. 

"No offense," Hermione smiled sheepishly at him. "It's just...oh, thank Merlin."

"No offense taken." He chuckled, raising his hands in a surrendering gesture. "I totally understand."

"What about you? You'll be stuck with Astoria..." Hermione wrinkled her nose. After everything he'd done, and been willing to do for her, she felt a little guilty leaving him with the vapid twit.

Draco grinned sheepishly. "Um...I might have another option, if I can convince her, and if I can't have her, I don’t care who I end up with," he admitted somewhat reluctantly. He bit his lip, then blurted, "I'm in love with Luna Lovegood!" He covered his mouth and muttered, "Fucking veritaserum!" 

Before Hermione could press for more details about his unexpected declaration, Becca literally dragged Harry back into the room. He had his head down, and kept his gaze focused firmly on the floor until Andromeda laughed softly and said, "Harry, do you want to marry Hermione?"

"What difference does it make?" He muttered, not looking up. "She has to marry him. I don't want her to die."

"Harry," Hermione murmured. "I can marry you, instead. I'd rather marry you. I love you, and I want to be with you. Stupid veritaserum!" She grunted in annoyance, well aware that everyone else was listening, but unable to stop talking. "You're way more than just a friend to me, Harry. I can't imagine spending my life with anyone but you, and I can see myself having kids with you, and growing old together. Though, I could kill you for tricking me into taking that potion and making me say all this in front of everyone. But I'll try to forgive you if you'll just marry me."

Harry's head had shot up so fast that Hermione was surprised he didn't give himself whiplash. "What?" He looked around, obviously baffled to find everyone but Becca (who also looked confused) smiling amusedly at him. "But...what?" He repeated, frowning (quite adorably, Hermione thought).

"Your grandmother was a Black, Harry," Andromeda explained quickly. "She was unofficially disowned for marrying your grandfather, but you are a member of the Black family. That's actually why your parents chose Sirius to be your Godfather. He was James' second cousin, as are my sisters and I."

Harry stared at Andromeda for several seconds, appearing almost as if he'd been frozen in place. Then, his eyes lit up, and he slowly turned toward Hermione. "'Mi?" An unusually shy smile spread over his face, and her heart skipped a beat as she smiled back and held out her hand.

Draco quickly stepped away from her as Harry rushed forward, wrapped his arms tightly around her waist, and buried his face against her neck. Hermione slid her right hand into his hair, tangling her fingers in it, and rested her head on his shoulder, sighing happily as she breathed in his scent. He smelled like mint toothpaste, which made her laugh quietly.

"Let's just give them a moment," Doctor Hart murmured quietly.

Hermione heard shuffling noises, then the click of the door closing. She looked up to find they were alone, except for Teddy, who was still sleeping soundly on Narcissa's bed. "So..." she stroked Harry's hair, eliciting a happy moan. "Is there anything you wanted to tell me?" She asked teasingly. "I already spilled my guts. In front of everyone!"

Harry chuckled. "I might be, just a little bit...completely in love with you," he whispered, his breath tickling her neck.

Hermione pushed him back until she could see his face. "And were you ever going to tell me?!" She demanded angrily. "You were just going to let me marry someone else...Draco Bloody Malfoy, no less...and not say anything?!" She swatted at his chest with her right hand because her left arm didn't seem to be cooperating.

Harry caught her hand and made her sit back against her pillows before speaking. "I didn't want to tell you while we were still on the run. I was so afraid of Voldemort finding out. I was scared that if we got caught again, he might kill you to hurt me. I know it was pointless, since Bellatrix almost killed you the first time without even knowing how important you are to me, but I was just trying to protect you. Ever since the battle, I've just been waiting until you got better, but then you sprang this whole marrying Draco thing on me. What was I supposed to say? You could have died!" He protested, hugging her tightly. "I wasn't going to say anything, but I'm kind of a selfish git sometimes, and I couldn't stand the thought of you with him. You're mine. You know, I think I might have spilled some veritaserum on my hand when I poured it down Draco’s stupid throat..." he trailed off and clapped his hand over his mouth.

Hermione narrowed her eyes when he mentioned the veritaserum, but decided to let it go for now. "If you'd said something right away I could have still just let them take my arm..." she pointed out.

"But you didn't want that," he sighed and rubbed his hand over his face. "You'd rather marry Malfoy than let them take your arm..."

"Only because he would've lost his magic," Hermione explained. "As far as possible scenarios go, me keeping my arm and Draco keeping his magic trumped me losing my arm and him becoming a Squib. But Harry, you're way more important to me than any of that. If I'd known how you felt, I never would have considered marrying him. I couldn’t have." She shook her head. "I love you."

Harry cocked his head to one side and smiled slightly. "And you weren't going to say anything?" 

Hermione sighed and reached up to caress his cheek. "I never thought I had a chance with you. I first noticed you...you know...that way, back in Third year. But first there was Cho, then Ginny. You've always had a thing for female Quidditch players with pin-straight hair..."

He opened his mouth, seemed to think better of whatever he was about to say, and nodded reluctantly. "I liked them, but I noticed you were attractive back then, too. I didn't realize I'd fallen in love with you until this last year." He grinned sheepishly. "I think it first started to sink in when Ron ditched me. Ditched us.You stayed with me, rather than going with him, and that's when I realized how important you'd become to me. I could deal with Ron leaving, but when I thought you might leave, too, I almost lost it. Other than Hagrid, you are the only one who's been there for me right from the start. I'd always thought you would end up with Ron, but then you didn't go with him..." he shrugged one shoulder. "I couldn't help but start to look at you differently after that," he cupped her cheek in his hand and smiled adoringly at her.

Hermione blushed, but nuzzled against his palm. "So when did you figure out you loved me?" She asked curiously.

"You'll think I'm crazy," he laughed softly and rolled his eyes. "I knew I was in love with you when you hexed my face the night the Snatchers caught us."

Hermione blinked. "What? Why then?" She chuckled bemusedly. "I thought you'd be mad at me, if anything."

"It hurt...but they could just as easily have recognized you...you're a pretty famous muggle-born...and they might've killed you if they had. You could have disguised yourself, but you didn't. You tried to protect me instead. You might not even be in this mess right now if you'd just disguised yourself, instead." He frowned thoughtfully and lightly touched the back of her bad hand. 

"This isn’t your fault," Hermione blurted quickly, knowing exactly where his thoughts were leading him. "This is all Voldemort's fault, for starting the war. He targeted you, but he could've easily picked Neville as his arch enemy instead, and none of it would have been Neville's fault, either."

"If you say so." Harry shook his head almost imperceptibly, but Hermione chose not to push the issue. 

"What about Ginny?" She asked instead. "Is she going to freak?"

"I don’t think so." He shrugged dismissively. "She knows it's been over for a while. What about Ron?" He grinned teasingly, but his eyes were anxious.

"I wouldn't worry." Hermione blushed and rubbed her neck. "We kissed during the battle, but it sucked!" She covered her mouth, mentally cursing the veritaserum. 

Harry's left eye twitched. "Really?"

"Really...it was worse than kissing Krum. Hell, George kissed me on the cheek at Christmas Fifth year and that was more exciting than kissing Ron! Ugh...when is this stuff going to wear off?" she whined, flailing her good arm wildly. "I know Ron felt the same way. We just kind of did it, and...nothing. All I could think about the whole time was...you."

"You were thinking about me?" Harry raised an eyebrow and smirked slightly.

"Well, not like that," Hermione blushed. "Not entirely. Mostly I was just so worried about you. I didn't know what I was going to do if you didn't survive. And it wasn't just because of Voldemort and that stupid prophecy. I didn't know how I could live if you didn't." 

She suddenly flashed back to the awful moment when she first saw Hagrid carrying his limp form. Her throat tightened and her eyes began to sting. "And I almost lost you..." She'd been so distracted by the aftermath of the battle, with worrying about the Weasleys, her missing parents, and her rapidly failing health...she hadn't stopped to process the fact that Harry had died. She knew now that she had subconsciously let everything else push that fact aside because she couldn't deal with how close she'd really come to losing him forever. "Oh god, Harry!" She whimpered and flung her arms around his neck, completely ignoring the pain in her left arm and the fact that she was probably getting blood all over his shirt.

"I'm here," he murmured soothingly as he rubbed her back. "I'm not going anywhere. I promise."

"You'd better not," Hermione smiled tearfully. "Because I really wasn’t looking forward to marrying the ferret."

Harry laughed. "I'm pretty sure I would have vomited at some point if you had gone through with it."

"Hey, you weren't the one who would have had to sleep with him!" Hermione shuddered. Draco might be acting more human, but she wasn’t sure she could have set aside seven years of his horrendous behavior enough to actually have sex with him.

"You...what? I thought the marriage was just going to be on paper?" Harry frowned.

Hermione shook her head, realizing he hadn’t been there for the full discussion with Doctor Hart, and didn't know what he was getting himself into.

"Some marriages in the wizarding world are like that these days, but for this to work, the marriage has to be completely binding, both magically and legally. There's no way to undo it later, and, um, the marriage has to be consummated before the protective spell will take effect." Looking at his face, which had gone a very dark red, she hesitantly asked, "Um...is that going to be a problem?"

Harry closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths before opening them and giving her a strained smile. "No, it's fine. I'm kinda looking forward to it," he mumbled, looking embarrassed.

"But...?" Hermione gave him a questioning look, knowing there was more.

"I'm just trying not to go beat Malfoy to a pulp for even thinking about touching you." Harry's tone was dangerously calm, and Hermione grabbed his arm anxiously.

"Harry, the marriage thing really wasn't his idea. It was all Doctor Hart and the Potion Master. It's not like either of us were looking forward to it. It was a 'Lie back and think of England,' deal. Or at least think about my arm..." She chuckled weakly. "It was just something we were gonna have to get through once, then never, ever again."

Harry took a few more deep breaths, swallowing hard before he looked her in the eye. "It won't be like that with us," he said huskily, stroking her cheek. 

"I know," Hermione smiled affectionately at him. "I wouldn't want it to be that way with you."

Harry bit his lip. "I should tell you...I've never actually...you know."

"Me either," Hermione admitted. "At least with you I won't have to..." she laughed and covered her mouth, fighting the lingering effect of the veritaserum.

"Have to what?" He asked, briefly tickling her side when she didn't finish her sentence.

"I was going to close my eyes and try to pretend he was you," Hermione mumbled, hiding her face against his chest to muffle her words, then peeking up at him.

Harry's eyebrows crept up under his hair, and he looked more smug than she'd ever seen him. "That's...interesting," he said, trying and failing to sound unaffected by her confession. 

Hermione just smiled and shook her head.

Before either of them could say anything more, there was a quick knock on the door, and then Doctor Hart stuck his head in the room. "So, my brother is getting his things together and then he'll be on his way. Are you ready to do this?"

"We're ready," Hermione said, smiling nervously at Harry, who nodded happily.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Andromeda saves the day! To be clear...Harry doesn't know much about his father's family. No one really had a chance to sit him down and tell him about them at this point...until now. And I don’t see Narcissa having bragged to Draco that Harry was related to them. For the sake of this story, I'm going with the theory that Charlus & Dorea Potter were James' parents.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's wedding time!

Hermione stared at her hand, which was entwined with Harry's. They were still waiting for the priest to arrive, and she was supposed to be resting. She peeked up at Harry, who was leaning against her bed, chatting about Quidditch with Doctor Hart and Draco. 

As if he sensed her eyes on him, he turned and smiled at her, giving her hand a squeeze. Hermione swallowed loudly, struggling to control her nerves. She couldn't believe that they were really about to get married. Soon. Probably in the next hour or less.

Swallowing again, she let herself look him over once his attention was back on the other two wizards. She had to admit that years of playing Quidditch had given him a very nice body. Like Ron and Draco, he was lean and tall (taller than her, anyway). Unlike them, he wasn’t so tall that he towered over her by a full head, which had always sort of annoyed her about a lot of the guys she knew. Now that she allowed herself to really look at him, she had to admit that he also had a really nice bum. Glancing back up at his face, she realized he was looking at her again, this time with a knowing smirk on his face. She blushed furiously, and he opened his mouth as if to say something.

She was saved from what was sure to be a bit of well deserved teasing when a slightly taller and much older version of Doctor Hart walked into the room, dressed in dark purple dress robes. “Ah! Walter! Thank you for coming so quickly!” Doctor Hart exclaimed, walking over and hugging the man. “Everyone, this is my brother Walter. Walter, this is my patient, Hermione Granger, and her fiance, Harry Potter.” He gestured at each in turn. "You may have heard of them," he added with a wink.

"Wow, you got here fast," Hermione murmured, sitting up and swinging her legs over the side of the bed, her heart beginning to race. 

"You're a rather important person, young lady, and I understand there's no time to waste." The priest replied, smiling kindly at her, and then at Harry. “I’m just glad that I can be of assistance. My wife is a muggle-born, so I really appreciate everything the two of you have done.”

Harry rubbed the back of his neck, looking uncomfortable. 

Taking pity on him, Becca turned toward him and made shooing motions. "You need to leave for a few minutes so I can help your bride freshen up a bit," she ordered, smiling fondly at him. “All of you men...out!” Chuckling, the four wizards left the room, Draco taking Teddy with him since he was awake and Andromeda was still holding Merv. Harry was the last to leave, pausing to kiss Hermione on the cheek.

"I'll see you in a few minutes," he whispered before leaving. Hermione noticed happily that he had a distinct spring in his step.  
"That boy is absolutely smitten." Becca chuckled. She worked quickly to remove Hermione's bandage, using a few spells to clear away the blood and then wrapping her whole arm in fresh gauze.

Hermione just blushed at her observation, but Andromeda said, “You noticed that, too?” 

"I don't know why. I look like death warmed over." Hermione grumbled. "Pardon the expression."

"Well...I wouldn’t say that," Andromeda wrinkled her nose slightly. 

"If the shoe fits?" Hermione grinned weakly, trying to run her fingers through her hair. It was so tangled after three days spent in bed that her hand got stuck, and it took her a moment to pull it free. 

"Stop that." Becca scolded gently. "Here..." She raised her wand and mumbled a few spells under her breath. Hermione's hair instantly straightened into smooth, flowing waves. “There you go!”

"Hmmm, if we're going to do this, we should do it right." Andromeda stepped forward, cradling Merv in her left arm and tapping her chin thoughtfully. After a few seconds, she waved her wand and Hermione's nightgown transformed into a simple but elegant, white taffeta gown. Another quick swish of Andromeda's wand, and her fuzzy socks turned into white satin ballet flats.

"Beautiful!" Becca declared, conjuring a hand mirror which she held up for Hermione's approval. 

"Oh, Becca, you have to teach me how you did that to my hair!" Hermione begged. "I love it!" She ran her hand gingerly over the smooth strands, half afraid they would spring back into thick, unruly curls at her touch. “Thank you both!” She fought back tears as she ran her right hand over the beautiful gown. Delicate beadwork covered the bodice, and long, lacy bell-shaped sleeves hid the thick bandages on her injured arm.

"It's called 'Intenglio'. My mum has hair just like yours, and so does my younger sister Jessie." Becca grinned. "I came up with that spell when I was about your age. "

"Well, you're a miracle worker." Hermione beamed at her reflection. "You could make a fortune as a hairdresser. Did you use a makeup spell, too?" She asked, touching her cheek, which was practically glowing, a huge improvement over the pallor she'd had for the last few days.

Becca chuckled, "No, that color in your cheeks is all you. It’s been there ever since Harry kissed you just now." 

"Oh." Hermione handed the mirror back, blushing some more. "So, I guess it's time for us to tie the knot." She exhaled nervously. "Are we going to do it in here? The ceremony, I mean," she clarified quickly, thinking about what would come afterwards. She cursed her burning cheeks, beginning to fear that if she kept blushing she might become a case of actual human combustion. 

"There's a chapel downstairs, but it's best if you don't move around too much until your condition is more stable." Becca replied gently. 

"Oh gods... How are we going to...you know?" Hermione whispered embarrassedly. "I'm gonna end up bleeding all over the place by the time the enchantment kicks in. Which is kind of ironic if you think about it," she babbled nervously. How on earth was she supposed to have sex for the first time when she was not so slowly bleeding to death? She felt her chest tighten up as a wave of panic swept over her. "Blood makes Harry sick to his stomach."

"You’ll be alright, dear. Try to calm down. It’ll be fine. I cast a sealing spell on your arm to prevent it from bleeding through the bandages so fast. It was pointless before, with the poison spreading unchecked, but it should hold well enough to get you through the ceremony and...you know." Becca smiled reassuringly. 

"I'll just go tell them you're ready," Andromeda patted her on the shoulder. Taking Merv with her, she glided out of the room.

"Thank you." Hermione called after her and then waited nervously for everyone to return. Draco came back in first, now holding his sleeping brother. He quietly walked over to Hermione. “You look nice, Granger,” he said, looking a bit too surprised for her liking, just like Ron had at the Yule Ball their fourth year.

“Thank you,” She murmured, looking down at her gown, hoping Becca was right and she didn’t end up bleeding on it. Hearing footsteps, she glanced at the door, expecting Harry. Instead, Doctor Hart walked in with his brother. She frowned, wondering where Harry was, and if he had changed his mind. That would be just her luck. Her stomach lurched uncomfortably as her heart began to race again.

Clearly unaware of her panic, the two brothers walked over to her bed, "Hermione, after Walter finishes the ceremony, we'll all leave you two alone to, uh, finish it." Doctor Hart explained quietly. 

"Okay." Hermione nodded shakily, wishing the ground would just open up and swallow her whole.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Draco whispered when the two men walked toward the window and began talking quietly with Harry, who, to her huge relief seemed to have appeared out of nowhere with Andromeda, who was now holding Teddy. She noticed that he had changed from a non-descript t-shirt and jeans into a set of black dress robes with a dark red tie and vest that suited him perfectly. It was obviously Andromeda's doing...he looked gorgeous, and her stomach fluttered nervously as it hit her that she really was about to marry her best friend. 

"I'm fine, Draco," she murmured when she realized he was still looking at her expectantly. "Oh Merlin, here they come," she squeaked as Harry and the priest approached the bed.

"Good luck!" Draco said, smiling sympathetically before crossing the room to sit on the other bed beside Andromeda and Becca. 

"You look lovely," Harry whispered after helping Hermione to her feet. She swayed dizzily, unused to being upright, and he clamped his arm firmly around her waist, offering his support. She leaned weakly against him and smiled sheepishly at the priest.

"I'm not sure how long I can stand," she admitted quietly. 

"Let's get started then." He nodded understandingly. "Let all here present bear witness to the magical union of this wizard, Harry James Potter, and this witch, Hermione Jean Granger, who are to be joined by blood and magic in eternal matrimony." He began, raising his voice slightly. "Do you all agree to bear witness to their bond?"

"We agree," the others replied in almost perfect unison, and Hermione realized that everyone knew what the ceremony would entail...everyone except for herself. She hoped she didn't mess up. 

"Excellent," Walter Hart smiled encouragingly at her before turning to Harry. "Mister Potter, as the Head of the Potter and Black families, do you accept this woman as your wedded wife and kin?"

"I gladly accept this woman as my wife and take her as my kin," Harry nodded vigorously and gave her a quick squeeze.

Hermione frowned slightly at the the archaic wording of the ceremony. And since when was Harry the head of the Black family?

"And do you, Miss Granger, accept your place as Harry's wedded wife and a member of the Potter and Black families?" Walter asked, interrupting her mental rambling.

"Oh my gods..." Hermione snorted, disgusted by the wording of the vows even though she was becoming so dizzy she could barely think straight. "That's soooo sexist." She heard Draco snicker quietly in the background.

"I know it's awful, but we needed to use an older ceremony to help form the blood bond. Just say it." Harry chuckled quietly. 

"Oh brother. Fine." Hermione huffed. "I accept my...place," she rolled her eyes and everyone chuckled this time, "...as Harry's wedded wife..." She was starting to feel weak again and slumped further into Harry's side.

"The family part...you need to say the family part!" Harry whispered urgently, wrapping both arms around her waist to help keep her on her feet. 

"Right," Hermione mumbled. "Uh...I accept my place as a member of the house of Black. And Potter. I feel really dizzy..." she whimpered, resting her head on Harry's shoulder.

"The magical component of the poison is reacting to the forming of the bond...it’s trying to resist," Doctor Hart murmured to his brother. "You need to hurry."

Walter nodded and pulled out a white ribbon out of thin air. Fumbling slightly in his hurry, he quickly tied the fabric around Hermione's right wrist and Harry's left. "Let this ribbon symbolize the magical bond that is now formed between Harry and Hermione." He chanted as he wove the ends of the ribbon up both their arms and tied the ends in a bow. "From this day forth, may their magic protect and strengthen each other. So mote it be."

"So mote it be." The others chanted in unison. Hermione swayed as a more intense wave of dizziness washed over her. She could feel blood beginning to trickle down her arm beneath the bandage, despite Becca's spell.

"Help..." She whimpered as her knees began to give out. 

"I've got you," Harry murmured, quickly scooping her into his arms somehow despite their joined wrists. "Hurry up! While she's still conscious!"

“Do you have a ring?” Walter asked. To her surprise, Harry struggled to reach into his pocket, and handed something to the priest. “Let this ring symbolize Harry and Hermione's union. As the circle has no beginning and no end, so shall their love for each other.” 

Hermione sighed dreamily, then blushed when everyone chuckled. 

“It wouldn't be much of a wedding without a little romance,” Walter murmured, clearly amused, “So mote it be.”

“So mote it be!” the others repeated as the priest handed the ring back to Harry, who somehow managed to slip it onto Hermione's left hand while still holding her in his arms.

Hermione wanted to look at the ring, but she was so tired and dizzy that she could barely pay attention as Walter said something about their blood being a symbol of their new familial bond. His words were followed by a sharp pain in the end of her right index finger. There was more chanting after that, and a small cup was held to her lips. The thick smell of copper filled her nostrils and she gagged, but managed to swallow a small sip of the viscous fluid inside.

"So mote it be!" Everyone exclaimed, and she suddenly felt a tiny bit better.

"I think it's working..." She mumbled tiredly, managing to lift her head from Harry's shoulder a few centimeters.

"Good!" Harry smiled and kissed her right temple. 

"C'mon, say the man and wife bit!" Draco muttered impatiently at the priest. Reminded of 'The Princess Bride,' Hermione giggled at his words, and both Harry and Andromeda joined her. "What's so bloody funny?" Draco asked bemusedly. 

"Never mind, it’s a Muggle thing." Harry chuckled, winking at Andromeda. 

"I now declare by the power invested in me by the Ministry of Magic and the Sacred Order of Merlin that these two are now husband and wife, forever joined by the sacred bonds of marriage, magic, and blood. Let no one come between them or sever their eternal bond.” 

“So mote it be!” everyone chimed in without prompting.

“So mote it be,” Walter repeated, shaking his head in amusement. “That was a bit backwards, but you may now...well, I think you know what to do from here." He grinned, winking at Harry, who blushed as he ducked his head to kiss Hermione on the lips for the first time. She gasped and closed her eyes as warmth suddenly flooded her body. Although brief and rather chaste, the kiss left her feeling as if she were floating.

"Everybody out!" Doctor Hart bellowed suddenly, startling Hermione as he clapped his hands loudly to hurry everyone along. While the others scurried out of the room, he approached and felt Hermione's pulse. "How are you feeling, kiddo?"

"Lousy." She admitted tiredly, "But not as bad as I did in the middle there." Moaning wearily, she rested her head back on her new husband's shoulder, then laughed almost drunkenly at the realization that she now had a husband. “Oh gods, we’re married...” she mumbled dazedly. 

"We are." Harry chuckled, and tightened his arms around her slightly.

"I was hoping that completing the official ceremony would improve her condition a bit more than this," she heard Doctor Hart murmur to Harry. "Obviously, the enchantment isn't going to fully acknowledge her as a Black until the marriage is consummated. I'm afraid you'll need to hurry, but she should feel pretty good, uh, after."

"Isn't that usually the case?" Harry joked quietly. His voice sounded a bit shaky, which somehow made Hermione feel less nervous. 

"True," The healer grinned. "Well, good luck, I guess. Remember the spells I taught you, Harry. I'll cast a silencing spell on my way out." He winked, then spun on his heel and walked into the hallway, closing the door behind him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The blood thing in the wedding ceremony is purposely gross, but necessary. The enchantment on the Black family only works for *blood* relatives or spouses that were blood bound. It's based on dark blood magic (though protective), not legalities, thus...grossness. (My muse loves to throw in stuff that even grosses ME out. Yuck!) And, honestly, the wording of the ceremony isn't quite as sexist as it probably should be considering how old it's supposed to be. Weddings/formalities aren’t my strong suit. Lol
> 
> Also, my Harry is a little taller than Daniel Radcliffe, and my Hermione is a little shorter than Emma Watson. I don't know why. He's a few inches taller than her, rather than an inch shorter.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case I didn’t explain it well in the story, the poison had a spell component, so it is sort of "aware" that they're trying to neutralize it. It's trying to kill her before they can do so. That's also why it started spreading faster and faster as they worked on finding a cure. 
> 
> Bellatrix was EVIL.

"I'm sorry. This is probably gonna suck," Harry mumbled, carrying Hermione to her bed and gently laying her down. Somewhere along the line the ribbon that bound their arms together had disappeared. 

"It's okay." She shrugged slightly and tried a bit unsuccessfully to smile at him. Truthfully, she was seriously doubting she'd get through this without throwing up, no matter how it went. Her head was spinning and her stomach was tied in knots that had little or nothing to do with her nerves. 

"It's not okay," Harry sighed. "You deserve so much better than a quickie in a hospital bed."

"You can make it up to me later when I'm feeling better." Hermione giggled nervously. "Besides, we're saving my life right now, remember?"

"Right." He gazed at her thoughtfully for a moment, then nodded briskly. Unbuttoning the front of his robes, he quickly shucked them, revealing the red silk vest, white collared shirt and black trousers underneath. Crawling onto the bed beside her, he stretched out on his side, then ducked his head to kiss her.

Hermione kissed him back, surprising herself a little by moaning spontaneously when he gently nibbled her lower lip. Simultaneously, they both tilted their heads and deepened the kiss. Harry flicked his tongue over her lips and Hermione immediately opened her mouth slightly to allow him more access. He slid his tongue inside and began lightly licking her own, encouraging her to respond. 

Hermione tentatively trailed her tongue along the side of his in return, moaning again when she felt him gingerly squeezing her left breast through her gown. "Harry," she whimpered, pressing herself against his hand. She couldn't believe he could make her feel remotely good when she honestly felt sicker than she ever had.

"You're so beautiful," he whispered, kissing his way across her jaw and down her neck, sending shivers down her spine. Suddenly, he froze and rose up on his knees. "’Mi, I'd love to take this slow, but your arm is bleeding again and I'm afraid we need to hurry. I'm really sorry." He smiled apologetically at her, then reached down and unfastened his belt and trousers. His hands were shaking.

"Stop apologizing. Just do it." Hermione mumbled tiredly. "I don't feel so hot." She groaned, closing her eyes because her eyelids were suddenly too heavy for her to keep them open. All she wanted was to sleep for a week. Logically, she knew that shagging him would make her feel better, so shag him she would. She just wished he'd get on with it. 

"Hermione?" Harry asked worriedly, kneeling above her, his breath tickling her cheek. "Are you okay?"

"Hurry." She whispered. Her left arm was burning up, and seemed like it was growing heavier by the moment. She wondered vaguely if it might not just fall off on its own. "Please hurry."

"I am," Harry muttered as she felt him slide his hands up her legs beneath her gown, drawing the fabric above her hips. Then he hooked his fingers on either side of her knickers and pulled them down her legs. She heard him inhale sharply once she was exposed, but she couldn't muster up the modesty to care right then because she seemed to be sinking into the bed. "You still with me, 'Mi?" he asked, sounding more worried.

Hermione tried to answer, or at the very least open one eye, but found herself completely unable to move. Her whole body felt like a dead weight and she was fairly sure her arm was actually on fire. She tried to moan, but no sound came out.

"Hermione?!" Harry shook her gently, and with a tremendous effort she finally managed a brief sort of reverse blink before her eyes slid shut again against her will. "Fuck. I feel like a bloody rapist." Harry muttered. She was afraid that he was going to stop, but then she felt him settle on top of her, straddling her legs, with most of his his weight resting on his elbows on either side of her. He leaned to one side and brought his other hand down, gently pushing her legs apart and moving his own so he could settle between them. Then, something hard brushed against her inner thigh and she tensed involuntarily.

"Easy, 'Mi." Harry kissed her softly. "I don’t know if you can even hear me, but I'm just gonna cast a lubricating spell Doctor Hart taught me, so hopefully this won't hurt you too much." He mumbled something under his breath and she felt something cool and wet flood her insides, making her tense even further. "Try to relax, ‘Mi," he pleaded.

She tried to respond, to let him know that she was (relatively) okay, but it felt like her whole body was falling, and if she could have made a sound, the fire consuming her arm would have had her screaming. It had spread into her shoulder and was eating its way across her collarbone now, and she was starting to worry that if Harry didn't hurry, the poison might actually kill her. 

Unfortunately, he wasn't doing anything. "Shit!" he cursed quietly. "I'm so sorry about all of this." She felt something wet on her cheek and realized he was crying. There was a long pause, followed by him twitching repeatedly. "Dammit! Come on!" He whispered frantically.

Hermione quickly figured out that he was having trouble...performing. It made sense...she was bleeding and unresponsive. It probably wouldn't be a good sign, psychologically speaking, if he wasn't too disturbed to get it up under the circumstances. 

She was just starting to worry that he was too freaked out to be able to do this at all, when he mumbled something under his breath in what sounded like Latin and immediately let out a loud, guttural moan. "Oh god!" He panted breathlessly a few times before taking a deep breath, then murmured, "Okay then. Here we go." A second later, something thick and hot began pushing inside her.

Hermione's heart skipped a beat, then began to race as she realized this was really it. The heaviness in her torso began to dissipate as soon as he slid further inside her. By the time he paused, panting again, about halfway inside, she managed to let out an impatient grunt and move her hips slightly, trying to encourage him to keep going. "This part is gonna hurt," he whispered before kissing her again. 

Hermione gasped into his mouth when he slid his hand between them and lightly rubbed her clit until she moaned again. As awful as she felt, that felt surprisingly good.

Harry suddenly mumbled, "Just get it over with, Harry!" then pulled out slightly before thrusting forward. 

Hermione yelped as a sharp pinching sensation shot through her lower abdomen. "Ow!"

Harry immediately stopped moving again. "Sorry! I'm so sorry!" he whispered, pressing kisses all over her cheeks and forehead.

"Keep going...it's working," Hermione urged. Her strength seemed to be coming back, and she felt more alert already. She pried her eyes open and spread her legs a bit further. "Go ahead, Harry. Please. It’s working..." she whispered encouragingly, reaching up to caress his cheek. A warm tingling sensation was flooding through her veins, erasing the pain and fatigue and it was becoming stronger by the second. She wasn't sure if it was solely the effect of the enchantment overriding the poison, or if part of it was just...well...sex. She just knew she wanted more of it.

Harry smiled weakly and recaptured her lips, kissing her warmly as he pushed forward the last few centimeters until his pelvis was flush with hers.

Hermione felt a strange sort of vibration pass through her and instantly felt completely energized. They both stared as they were surrounded by a warm, golden glow, which was quickly absorbed into their bodies.

Hermione laughed happily and lifted both arms over her head triumphantly. Her whole body felt light and airy. In fact, she felt as if she could fly.

"Whoa..." Harry murmured. "That was...different. Are you okay?" He asked peering into her eyes. 

"I feel a lot better,” Hermione chuckled quietly, wrapping her arms around his neck, "What was that? We're not even done."

Harry shrugged slightly, "I'm guessing the laws of Magic don't care about orgasms as long as there's, you know...penetration." He blushed and ducked his head for a moment before looking up at her anxiously. "I think the marriage is technically consummated already," he mumbled uncertainly. "Are you really okay, or do you need to stop for now?" He offered quietly, still holding himself very still. 

Hermione shook her head, smiling affectionately at him. She could tell that he meant it, and that he really would stop here if that was what she wanted, and she loved him even more for it. However, stopping was the last thing she wanted to do. She felt absolutely wonderful, like her whole body was buzzing with magic. "Don’t stop," she whispered, "I feel really good. And you feel really good." She squeezed her inner muscles around him and they both moaned.

"Really?" He asked hopefully as a goofy grin slowly spread across his face. "You're sure?"

"Harry, move!" She ordered, rolling her hips and squeezing again. "I'm fine!" He stared at her like a kid who'd just gotten exactly what he wanted for Christmas. Hermione giggled. "Harry, don't over think it...just move. Please. I feel so much better, and I need you to start moving," she growled the last part and thrust her hips upward in frustration.

Harry blinked dazedly, then smirked sexily and ground his hips in a slow circle. His pubic bone rubbed against her clit, sending shockwaves of pleasure through her abdomen. "Like that?" He whispered huskily.

"Oh god, yes, just like that," Hermione moaned, clutching his shoulders. "Please!"

Harry chuckled and began slowly thrusting in and out of her, carefully rolling his hips each time so his pubic bone ground against her clit. "Fuck...you're so tight." He growled, burying his face against her neck. "Gods, you feel so good."

"Harder. Harry, please," Hermione whimpered after a few minutes of his slow, gentle thrusts. “Faster!” she ordered impatiently, raising her hips higher in an attempt to force him to deepen his thrusts.

"Fuck!" Harry slid his hands down to her knees and lifted her legs up over his hips. Slamming into her, he grunted, "Better?"

"Yes!" Hermione hooked her ankles together behind his arse and reached down to grasp his hips, trying to pull him even further inside her. He responded by unhooking her ankles and pushing her knees even further up toward her chest, driving into her as hard as he could. "Oh god! Harry!" Hermione shrieked, digging her nails into his arse and writhing against him as the new position allowed him to reach a spot inside her that sent waves of pleasure through her abdomen. 

"I'm gonna come," Harry groaned suddenly, sounding almost like he was in pain. Reaching between them again, he began firmly rubbing her clit with his thumb. "Come for me, 'Mi. Come for me. Please!" He begged frantically as his hips began to pump more erratically. "Oh fuck...I'm cumming!" His whole face contorted and he curled in on himself as if he was trying to stop it from happening.

"Just come, Harry. It's okay," Hermione urged. He grunted and she felt his shaft twitch inside her as he ground himself firmly against her pelvis. Then, he gently pinched her clit and she screamed as she began to climax along with him, rocking helplessly against him. "Harry!"

"'Mi! Bloody hell..." He whimpered loudly, his spine rigid and his eyes screwed tightly shut as he pulsed inside her. After what felt like several seconds, they both finally relaxed, Harry collapsing on top of her as they both panted heavily.


	10. Chapter 10

Hermione smiled contentedly and wrapped her arms around Harry's neck, nuzzling his hair. "That so did not suck." She giggled after she finally caught her breath enough to speak.

"It really didn't." Harry mumbled agreeably after snorting amusedly. Lifting his head, he brushed her hair out of her eyes, kissed her lightly and asked, "How are you feeling?" His voice was a bit hoarse, and sent a pleasant shiver down her spine.

"I feel amazing," She smiled fondly at him and ruffled his hair. A bead of sweat rolled down her temple and she noticed they were both still fully clothed. Despite a slight lingering awkwardness, she suddenly wished they'd had time to completely remove all of their clothes, and not just because she was too warm.

"How’s your arm?" Harry carefully rolled to her right side, both of them groaning as he slipped out of her. He immediately wrapped both arms around her and pulled her closer to him. Of course he'd be a cuddler.

"It’s a little less amazing, but way better than before, I think." Hermione shrugged uncertainly.Her forearm still ached a little around the scars themselves, but it was nothing like the awful heaviness and burning sensation she'd experienced before. 

"How long do you think they're gonna leave us alone in here?" Harry asked, kissing her cheek.

"Probably not long enough." Hermione muttered, snuggling closer against him, and yawning. "I could sleep for a week." The energized feeling she'd experienced earlier was quickly being replaced by a warm, comfortable drowsiness.

Harry chuckled and kissed her neck. "I don't think they'd blame us for wanting a nap after that. You must be exhausted."

Hermione blushed. "I got kinda carried away, I guess. Sorry about scratching your arse, by the way." 

"Mmmm...no apologies necessary," Harry murmured, nibbling her collarbone just above the neckline of her gown. "That was kind of hot."

Hermione lifted her head and stared at him. "Harry Potter, do you have some kind of pain fetish?" She asked, trying to sound scandalized but barely containing a laugh.

He laughed loudly, the corners of his eyes crinkling up and his whole face lightening in a way she hadn't seen since Sirius had been killed. "No! It would be handy if I did, though, wouldn't it? I'd have spent most of the last several years feeling rather randy..." he joked, wiggling his eyebrows. "I might even owe Moldy-shorts a favor..." he trailed off, laughing so hard his eyes watered.

"Ewww!" Hermione rolled her eyes and pretended to swat at him, even though she was smiling widely at seeing him so relaxed and happy for a change. She hadn't thought he'd be able to joke about Voldemort so soon, if ever. "Prat," she muttered affectionately.

"Yeah, I took that too far," he agreed, wiping his eyes. "In all seriousness though, it was really sexy, you losing control like that. It made me feel like I was doing something right," he explained as he gave her a little squeeze.

"Oh, you were definitely doing it right," Hermione murmured dreamily. "Is there anything you're not good at?"

"Um...Wizard's Chess. Potions. Charms. Transfiguration. Astrology....hell...schoolwork in general, except for Defense. Oh, and avoiding trouble...Let me think, I know there's more..." He tapped his lip thoughtfully and looked up at the ceiling. 

"You're probably going to be better at that last one now," Hermione chuckled.

"One would certainly hope so," he mumbled, looking a bit guilty.

"Harry?" Hermione leaned up on her right elbow and frowned down at him suspiciously. "Spill."

"Kingsley asked me to sign up for auror training," he admitted quietly. "I was thinking I might. The Ministry is in chaos right now and he doesn't know which aurors he can trust. There are still Death Eaters out there...everywhere."

Hermione frowned, then sighed. "I can't really picture you doing anything else. I know you've been thinking about it since fifth year." 

"Before that, really." He nodded and shrugged. 

"Then you should do it," she murmured, ruffling his hair again. The thought of him continuing to put himself in danger to hunt down dark wizards made her want to throw up, but she would be damned if she'd try to keep him from his longtime goal. His performance on written homework, class discussions, and exams might not be that remarkable, but he was almost literally unbeatable in actual practice. He was made for this, and she knew it.

Just then, there was a soft knock on the door. Hermione squeaked guiltily for reasons even she didn't understand. It wasn't like they hadn't been given doctors orders to do what they'd just done. Harry chuckled softly, then quickly refastened his belt and trousers and climbed off the bed while she frantically straightened her gown. She couldn't find her knickers, so she self-consciously pulled the blankets up almost to her chin, eliciting an even louder chuckle from Harry. When they were both decent, Hermione quietly called, "Come in."

"Ah...everything went okay, then?" Doctor Hart asked, sticking his head around the door before stepping inside. Becca came in right behind him. "I just wanted to check your arm."

"How did you know we were finished?" Hermione asked suspiciously. "I thought you said you were putting a silencing spell on the door?"

"Oh, I did." The doctor grinned a bit guilty. "But the spell I used had a flashing light to indicate when certain levels of sound were actually being silenced. It went out a good five minutes ago."

Hermione blushed. "Oh. Right." Glancing at her arm, she saw that the sleeve of her gown was dark with semi-dried blood, but it didn't feel like there was any fresh blood squishing around beneath it anymore. "I think it's stopped bleeding," she announced hopefully.

Doctor Hart smiled and began removing the bandage. Hermione winced as it pulled at the dried blood. "Sorry."

"Allow me..." Becca tapped the bloodied cloth with her wand. "Turgio." Hermione's arm tingled somewhat unpleasantly and there was an odd sucking sensation as the blood stains disappeared. "Now try."

"This is why we have nurses change dressings." Doctor Hart remarked sheepishly before unwrapping the rest of the bandage. "Oh my! I expected it to have stopped spreading, but I wasn't expecting an actual improvement."

Hermione's wounds were still there, but they had closed over for the most part. The skin around the cuts was a dark pink, rather than the deep red it had been previously. Her pores no longer oozed blood. The black veins leading up to her shoulder had lightened to a dark pink, and had retreated a good way back down her arm. Her previously blood red hand now merely looked slightly pinker than usual. Even the slightly open wounds of Bellatrix' original cuts had closed enough that the jagged letters were recognizable again. She'd never been so relieved to read the ugly word on her flesh. "Wow!"

"Wow, indeed." William whistled softly. "This is amazing. The bond between the two of you must be very strong indeed to produce results this dramatic." The dark haired man smiled at them almost enviously. "The antidote will be ready in a few more hours. Even though the poison can't harm you anymore, I need the antidote to neutralize and flush it from your system so I can heal the cuts. Until then, we'll just keep the dressing in place. Oh, but you should avoid any more, er... strenuous activities until after we've administered the antidote,” he added with a slight smirk and a sideways glance at Harry.

Harry let out a joking exclamation of protest, causing Hermione to blush and swat him in the stomach. Doctor Hart winked at Harry, then turned back toward Hermione. “I should be able to heal the scars completely once the poison is out of your system," He informed her confidently.

"You mean you can even get rid of the scars?" Hermione asked hopefully. She hadn't thought she'd ever be rid of the horrible word.

"Gone." He smiled and nodded, making a popping gesture with his right hand. 

"Oh my gods...thank you!" Hermione gushed, impulsively throwing her arms around his neck. 

"Oh my!" The healer laughed, clearly startled. "You don't have to thank me... it's my job after all."

"Sorry." Hermione blushed again, releasing him. "Got carried away." Her words caused her to flash back to how she'd dug her nails into Harry's backside as he pounded into her. The memory made her blush even more. She glanced over, and found Harry staring at her, his eyes dark. She had to look away quickly to keep from pulling him close and snogging him in front of Becca and Doctor Hart.

"That's perfectly understandable," Becca was saying. "You've had an emotional day. Congratulations, by the way, Mrs. Potter." She grinned. 

"Gods, that sounds weird." Hermione snorted. "Mrs Potter..." She looked over at Harry, who was now grinning like the cat that swallowed the canary. "We're married."

"I noticed," he replied cheerfully, his smile widening. "Are you really going to change your name?"

Hermione shrugged. "I haven't really thought about it. When I was younger, I assumed I'd change it. Around the time I started SPEW, I decided I'd keep Granger..." She trailed off, looking at him thoughtfully.

"It's up to you." He shrugged. "You don't have to change it."

Hermione glanced at Becca and Doctor Hart. "Could you give us a minute?"

"How about I go run you a bath?" Becca suggested, glancing questioningly at Doctor Hart, who nodded approvingly. 

"It's safe now that the poison is no longer spreading," he said. "It's up to you, Hermione, if you feel up to it."

Hermione nodded eagerly. They hadn't allowed her a bath or shower since she'd been there, and despite a few sponge baths, she felt like she was still covered in ash and debris from the battle. Doctor Hart hadn't wanted her fully immersed in hot (or even warm) water out of fear that the heat would make the poison spread faster. "That sounds heavenly!"

"Alright, I'll go prepare the bath and come get you in a few minutes," Becca said, clapping her hands briskly before heading out the door. 

"And I'll be back in a few hours, as soon as the antidote is ready," Doctor Hart bowed slightly and followed in the nurse's footprints.

"I'm serious, 'Mi. You can do whatever you want," Harry said as soon as they were alone.

"I know that." Hermione patted the bed beside her until he sat down. "I didn't think I'd change my name when I was younger because I didn't really think I'd ever find someone I'd feel as close to as I do to you. I never imagined that whoever I ended up with could be as important to me as you are, Harry." She smiled warmly at him.

He stared at her incredulously for a second and then laughed faintly. "In that case, I suppose it's a lucky thing you married me. Imagine some other poor fellow trying to compete with that..." He was joking, she knew, but he was also right. Maybe Bellatrix had done them a favor, unintentionally pushing them together like this. Merlin knew how long it would have taken them if they'd been left to their own devices. 

"Very lucky," Hermione murmured, smiling warmly at him. "I think maybe this just happened a little sooner than it would have otherwise, yeah?"

"I'd certainly like to think so." Harry smiled at her affectionately. "As for your name, maybe we should both hyphenate? Potter-Granger? Or Granger-Potter?" As he said the names, his nose wrinkled slightly, but he obviously tried to hide it.

"Those both sound worse than...Finch-Fletchley," Hermione giggled, shaking her head. "They don't flow right with the two -er endings."

"You're right. No hyphenating," Harry agreed with a rueful chuckle. "So...keeping Granger?"

"I think Hermione Potter has a nice ring to it," Hermione said, reaching up to caress his cheek. "Besides, if we ever have kids it might be confusing for them if we have different last names."

"What's this 'if' business?" Harry raised an eyebrow. "I know for. A fact that you want children, and I do, too."

"When we have children," Hermione corrected herself with a smile. 

Harry nodded slightly before ducking his head to kiss her tenderly on the lips. The kiss started off fairly innocently, just a light, affectionate peck, but when Hermione reached up to stroke the hair at the back of his neck, Harry groaned and tilted his head, running his tongue over her bottom lip until she gave in and parted her lips slightly. When he tried to slide his tongue into her mouth, she nipped at it playfully. When he jerked back slightly in surprise, she sucked his bottom lip between her teeth and bit down gently.

"Fuck!" Harry growled and surged forward, pressing her down on the bed and rolling on top of her. "Mi!"

Hermione giggled and wrapped her arms around him, pulling him even closer as she felt him hardening against her stomach. The sensation sent heat flooding through her lower abdomen and pelvis, focused on her core. Moaning, she raised her head to capture his lips again, amazed by how quickly he could turn her on, and vice versa. Any worries she might have had that things might be awkward between them for a while were fading fast.

"Ahem!" The sound of a throat clearing stopped them in their tracks just as Harry slipped his hand down her leg under the blankets in an attempt to find the bottom of her gown. "I'm getting up there in years, but my hearing isn't gone yet, and I'm fairly sure I heard William say no more sex until after Hermione's had the antidote." Becca was grinning at them, her hands on her hips, when they looked up. "Also, this is a hospital, not a hotel."

"S-sorry," Harry stammered guiltily, jumping off the bed. Unfortunately for him, this revealed the rather large tent in the front of his trousers, and he immediately sat back down on the side of the bed and awkwardly crossed his legs.

Hermione looked from her terrified husband to the rather amused looking nurse (who was really failing rather badly in her attempt to keep a stern expression on her face). She promptly burst out laughing. "You defeated the most evil wizard of our time and you're afraid of a woman?" She asked incredulously.

"I'm afraid of several women. Umbridge. Molly. McGonagall. You..." he smirked teasingly. "I'm not an idiot..."

Becca chuckled. "You can prove you're not by not letting me catch you trying any more funny business in here. Besides, you won't have long to wait. William is most likely going to release Hermione after he's healed her scars. If not tonight, tomorrow morning."

"Really? Tonight?" Hermione asked eagerly. She felt Harry poke her excitedly in the back and bit back a giggle.

"There's no reason to keep you. You should be completely back to normal.Whatever passes as normal for you, anyway" Becca teased. "Anyway, your bath is ready, Mrs....uh...Ms...uh..."

"Mrs. Potter," Hermione said, winking affectionately at Harry.

"Ah. Good choice." Becca smiled. "Harry may keep you company in the bathing chamber, but no fooling around. I mean it." She gave them each another stern look.

"Um, I should actually go send a few owls," Harry said a bit reluctantly as he stood up again. "Arthur asked me to keep him updated on Hermione’s condition, and I didn’t even tell him what we were planning to do. Neville, Luna, and some of the others in the DA have sent owls over the last few days too."

"Okay, well, if you'd like, I'm sure William will let you use his Floo to make some calls. It'd be faster," Becca suggested.

"That's a great idea!" Harry exclaimed, beaming at her before turning to Hermione. "I'll find you when I'm done. Enjoy your bath." With that, he turned and left the room.

Hermione giggled. "You just made his day. Harry hates writing," she told Becca after Harry had practically skipped out of the room.

"If anyone made his day, it was you." Becca winked mischievously. "I certainly didn't put the color back in his cheeks or that sparkle in his eyes." She looked Hermione over and added, "It looks like the effect is mutual."

"Well..." Hermione blushed, trying not to smile giddily.

"That good, hmm?" Becca chortled as she moved closer and indicated that Hermione should try to stand.

"It was pretty...wow," Hermione chuckled quietly. "I had no idea what I was missing." She sat up and swing her legs over the side of the bed, then hesitated.

"Just go slow. There's a warming spell on the bath, so take your time. Would you like me to get you a wheelchair?"

"No, I need to stretch my legs a bit," Hermione sighed. "It feels like I've been in this bed forever."

Becca put her arm around her waist and helped her to her feet. "Alright. Let's just stand here a moment and make sure you're not experiencing any dizziness," she suggested, then asked, "So this was your first time?"

Hermione shot her an 'I can’t believe you asked me that!' look, then smiling sheepishly and nodded. "His, too."

"Oh, that's sweet," Becca cooed, motioning for her to move. "It's rather romantic. It's like you were meant for each other."

"Thank Merlin Andromeda was here and told us about his grandmother. He doesn’t really know much about his father's family," Hermione explained as they slowly shuffled toward the door. "I really don't know if I could have gone through with marrying Draco." She wrinkled her nose at the mere thought of it.

"Well, fortunately you didn't have to find out," Becca said, chuckling. "Speaking of Mister Malfoy, who is this Luna Lovegood? Andi wants to try to find her..."

Hermione remembered Draco's surprising confession and burst out laughing. "She's one of my best friends. I'm not sure Draco is her type, and his father sort of held her hostage for several months, but she's very...open minded. It's worth a shot, I suppose."

"Sounds like a challenge." Becca grinned conspiratorially. "There's nothing more satisfying than a bit of good matchmaking. That girl won't know what hit her when Andi and I are done with her."

Personally, Hermione thought it might be the other way around, but if Andromeda and Becca could help Draco get out of his horrible marriage contract, she was all for it.


	11. Chapter 11

Hermione had to pause to rest halfway, but managed to walk down the hallway to the patient baths under her own power. Becca helped her disrobe and lower herself into the deep, claw-footed bathtub that awaited her in the small, cubicle-sized room. The scent of lavender floated up from the thick, frothy bubbles, and Hermione sighed contentedly. 

"I'll just leave you to it. Pull the cord if you need any help." Becca pointed at a blue satin pull cord hanging from the wall beside Hermione's head. Picking up her gown, she said, "I'll get this cleaned...I'm sure you'll want to keep it. Oh, and try to keep your arm dry."

"I will. Thank you, Becca." Hermione watched her go then sank further under the water and closed her eyes. She could feel the heat of the water easing muscles she hadn't even realized she had. The slight aches and pains made her think of Harry. She couldn't believe she had really convinced herself that she'd successfully suppressed the crush she'd had on him since sometime around their third year, or that she only loved him like a brother after his relationships with Cho and then Ginny. 

She definitely hadn't had even a twinge of sisterly affection for him earlier. After just a few kisses, she'd wanted him more than she could remember ever wanting anyone. Despite the rough start, their first time had been incredible. Either boys really did tell each other everything about girls and sex, or Doctor Hart must've given him one hell of a talk when he taught him those spells.Either way, she wondered if he had any more tricks up his sleeve.

Her musings were interrupted by a soft click. "Is the water really that hot or are you blushing?" Harry grinned teasingly at her when she peeled her eyes open to look at him. 

"A little of both." She admitted sheepishly. "I seem to be blushing a lot today. I think my face is broken." When he turned briefly to lock the door, she quickly checked to make sure that she was fully covered in bubbles. When she looked back up, he was watching her with obvious amusement.

"Your face looks perfectly fine to me," Harry murmured huskily and sat down on the fluffy mat beside the tub. "Dare I ask what you were thinking about?"

Hermione swallowed, then gathered her courage. "Y-you. Well...us."

His grin turned to a soft smile and he reached up to take her right hand in his. "You're adorable when you blush," he murmured, stroking the back of her hand with his thumb.

She bit her lip and peeked over at him, smiling almost shyly. He immediately responded with the warm smile that she now realized left her breathless every time she saw it. "I love your smile," she whispered impulsively, then lowered her eyes to the bubbles again.

He slid his hand to her cheek and pulled her closer to him while turning her to face him. "I love everything about you. Even when you look at me like that, like I'm completely mad," he declared quietly, gazing into her eyes for a long time before leaning forward and kissing her lightly on the lips. Before she could really respond, he pulled away. "Better hold that thought until we get you out of here, though."

"Right," Hermione agreed   
regretfully. "I'm looking forward to it," she added impulsively.

He looked a bit surprised, then smirked slightly. "Me, too," he said heatedly. "Now scoot forward so I can wash your back," he requested, grinning flirtatiously.

Hermione leaned forward, wrapping her arms around her upraised knees. "Did you talk to everyone?" 

"Yeah. Everyone said congratulations. No one seemed very surprised. The Weasleys seemed to think I made up the part about the spell on the Black family, though." Harry picked up a soft, thick cloth from the side of the tub and soaked it in the hot soapy water, then gently scrubbed her back. Hermione flinched when his cloth-covered hand passed over an especially tender spot. "Did that hurt?" He asked quietly, pausing in his ministrations to lightly run his hand over the spot again. 

Hermione moaned softly and bit her lip. "A little."

Harry dropped the cloth and began carefully rubbing her shoulders. "You should have said so, 'Mi," he scolded softly, "Here... turn so I can really get at your back," he prompted, motioning for her to drape her arms over the far side of the tub. Once he had her situated as he wanted her, he began thoroughly massaging her entire back.

Hermione bit her lip hard to fight back the moans of pleasure that bubbled up in her throat. She succeeded until his hands slid under the water and he dug his thumbs in firmly on either side of her lower spine, just above her arse. "Oh gods, that feels good," she sighed happily. 

Harry chuckled, then moved his hands to massage along her hips. The muscles there spasmed as he gently forced them to relax, and it occurred to her just how sore she was from their earlier activities. His fingers were skillfully targeting all the most painful knots and rubbing the tension from her body, and a pleasant tingle began to grow in her lower abdomen. "Mmm...Harry... so good." Hermione moaned, resting her head on her right arm and closing her eyes. 

Harry leisurely continued massaging her back until she felt like jello under his hands. "I think that's enough for now. I don't want you passing out in the tub. And I'm not sure how much longer I can resist those sexy sounds you're making," he murmured huskily, pressing a kiss to her right shoulder. 

"Mmmm... sorry." Hermione mumbled sleepily, sitting up a bit straighter as she turned to face forward in the tub again. 

"Uh...'Mi... that's not helping." Harry laughed quietly. "Your bubbles are almost gone and, uh...well, I must say you have lovely breasts."

Hermione looked down in chagrin and reflexively crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm sorry!"

"I'm not," Harry smirked. "Want help washing your front?" he asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

"I really don't think that's a good idea, do you?" Hermione smirked back, even though her hormones were currently in disagreement with her words. "Becca..." Fear of incurring the nurse's wrath was honestly the only reason she could think of not to drag him into the tub with her right then and there.

"Probably not,” Harry sighed dramatically, “You go ahead and finish up. I'll go get you a clean nightgown."

"Thank you," Hermione watched him slowly rise to his feet, once again revealing an unmistakable bulge in the front of his trousers. 

He met her eye unabashedly when she forced her gaze up to his face. "I can't help it. You're quite possibly the sexiest woman I have ever met, Hermione Gr-er-Potter." He smiled seductively at her before opening the door a crack and slipping into the hallway. 

Hermione swallowed hard, then slowly began to laugh at how abruptly her life had changed in such a short period of time. "Merlin!" She whispered breathlessly. Shaking her head slightly to rouse herself, she quickly grabbed the washcloth and finished cleaning herself off. She winced painfully when she swiped the cloth over her labia. She was definitely sore down there, but she doubted a massage would help. "I hope it's not always like this after." She mumbled. Standing, she reached for the drain plug and then began running clean water, scooping it up in her hands to rinse herself. 

"Hope what isn't always like what?" Harry's voice, right behind her, made her shriek fearfully. Her feet slipped and she would have fallen painfully if he didn't drop the armful of folded cloth he was holding and catch her around the waist. 

"Ugh! You scared me!" Hermione complained, clinging to him until she got her feet under her.

"I told you I was coming back," he pointed out defensively, and grabbed a towel from a nearby shelf. Wrapping it around her, he picked up the fabric he had dropped. "Clean nightclothes and knickers. Now...what do you hope isn't like what?"

Hermione clutched the towel to her chest and accepted what turned out to be a pair of silky red pajamas and matching lace trimmed knickers. "These aren't mine."

"They are now. Andromeda's an absolute wonder at Transfiguration." Harry shrugged. "Now answer my question? What's wrong?" He reached up and caressed her shoulder while trying to catch her eye.

"Nothing," Hermione lied. Putting the pile of clothing down on the shelf, she fumbled to hold up her towel while pulling on the knickers. With that managed, she slipped the top on, buttoned it clumsily, and let the towel fall to the floor. She reached for the bottoms, but Harry stopped her by wrapping his arms around her and pulling her close. 

"Nice try. Now spill," he growled quietly, resting his forehead against hers and looking her straight in the eyes.

Hermione sighed in exasperation. "Seriously, it's nothing," she grumbled. "I'm just a tiny bit sore. Down there." She blushed, glancing down meaningfully. "Stop making a big deal out of it."

"Oh." Harry stepped back a bit, looking crestfallen. "I'm really sorry if I hurt you. I guess you're not the only one who got carried away." He ducked his head contritely. "In answer to your question, though, I don't think so. Doctor Hart told me some stuff before the ceremony. From what he said, it's normal for it to hurt a bit after the first time."

"Oh, that must've been a fun conversation," Hermione chuckled awkwardly.

"Oh, it was delightful," Harry snorted, rolling his eyes. Clearing his throat, he released her and grabbed her pajama bottoms from the shelf. "Here... as gorgeous as your arse is in those knickers, I don't fancy you showing it off for anyone but me."

Hermione gaped at him for a moment, then took the offered bottoms and quickly pulled them on. "Prat. Have you been spending time with the Slytherin?"

He grinned unrepentantly. "No, I just think you're adorable when you blush." He gently stroked her cheek, then kissed her lightly before taking her hand. "Come on. We should get you back to bed. You still look too pale."

"I'm a little tired." Hermione admitted. He slipped his arm around her waist and helped her back to her room. Hermione let out a sigh of relief as she climbed into her freshly remade bed. 

Harry sat on the side of the bed and took her left hand gingerly in his. "Does it hurt?" He asked quietly, tracing his thumb over the bandage on her forearm. 

"Not really." Hermione smiled warmly at him. "It hasn't since... you know."

"Good." He smiled a bit awkwardly and she marveled at how rapidly he could switch from acting like his usual somewhat self-conscious, shy self to the sexy confidence he'd demonstrated in the bathing room and back again. "You should take a nap. That potion still has a couple of hours to go."

"Stay with me?" Hermione asked hopefully. 

"Of course." He turned and swung his legs up on the bed, leaned against the pillows, then pulled her up against him and wrapped his arms around her.

Hermione rested her head on his chest and sighed contentedly. She felt like they should talk about the fact they were married...maybe discuss where they were going to live, and what they were going to say to their friends and...well...her family, assuming she found them. Unfortunately, (or fortunately, considering how exhausted she was) she'd married what had to be the world's most comfortable human pillow, and she fell asleep in no time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mmmm...flirty Harry. I'd just watched "Horns" for the first time when I wrote this, and it did odd things to my Harry. He's still not back to normal. Lol


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Almost done. Only the epilogue remains...

"'Mione, wake up," Harry murmured in Hermione's ear. His breath tickled her neck and she swatted at him irritably.

"Go away Harry. We can look for the other horcruxes later. I'm too tired right now," she mumbled groggily. "You-Know-Who can just bugger off for a while."

She heard someone (who was not Harry) laugh nearby. "Is she always like this?" a vaguely familiar male voice asked with obvious amusement. 

"She's been through a lot," Harry said a bit defensively. "Give her a break. I thought you were going to stop being a prat?"

"Where's the fun in that?" the other male replied.

"Ahem...allow me..." a woman said, sounding a little annoyed. Hermione could sympathize, at least until the woman spoke more loudly, all but yelling, "Come on, Hermione. You've got to wake up and take your potion so you can get out of here. You're at St Mungos, remember? Doctor Hart is fetching the antidote from the lab as we speak."

St. Mungos. Doctor Hart. Oh...right... The events of the last few days flooded back to her, and Hermione sat up abruptly, almost smacking her forehead on Harry's...on her husband's chin, she amended, smiling. Thanks to his Seeker reflexes, he managed to dodge and avoid a potentially painful collision. "It's ready? How long did I sleep?"

"Three hours," Harry replied solemnly, gently rubbing her shoulder. "You seemed to need it."

"What? What time is it?" Hermione asked. She noticed he'd changed from his dress robes to a very tight charcoal gray t-shirt and jeans, and found herself staring for a moment. Finally turning away when she realized he had noticed, she did a double take. "Hi Luna!"

The pretty Ravenclaw was sitting in the chair beside her bed, smiling serenely as usual. Draco, who was sitting behind her on the edge of his mother's bed, was staring longingly at the back of her head, but Luna seemed oblivious. 

"Hello, Hermione. It's about half past five," Luna answered cheerfully. "I'm so glad to hear you're feeling better."

"Thanks, Luna," Hermione replied, biting back an evil grin as she said, "It's so nice to see you. Isn't it, Draco?"

He let out an unintelligible sound and turned pinker than she'd ever seen him. Harry started shaking with silent laughter and Hermione knew Becca or Andromeda had filled him in on their match-making scheme. "Where's Andromeda?"

"She had to take Teddy home. He was getting fussy." Harry said. "It's getting kind of late for the little guy."

"There's just enough time for Doctor Hart to heal your arm before his shift ends," Becca added right as Doctor Hart entered the room carrying a small glass flask.

"Ah...finally awake, I see?" He winked teasingly at Hermione. 

"Sorry about that," Hermione said sheepishly. 

"Not at all," Doctor Hart gestured dismissively. "The antidote was just completed a few minutes ago. You didn't miss anything."

"You missed my Mum waking up," Draco corrected, pointing behind him on the bed. Narcissa was finally back in her bed, but seemed to be fast asleep. Merv was cuddled up in the crook of her right arm, also sleeping soundly.

"Is she alright? What did she say when she realized she'd had Merv in her sleep?" Hermione asked curiously. She purposely didn't mention Lucius.

"Oh, she said I'm not allowed to name any children I might have." Draco chuckled. "She also suggested you consult her before naming yours. Meet Corvus Merveille Snape," he gestured at the baby.

"She...she kept it as his middle name?" Hermione asked, touched.

"She said it was fitting, but a horrible first name." Luna murmured. "She's not wrong..."

"And she's going to be alright?" Hermione repeated her earlier question. 

"She's fine." Draco bit his lip, then said, "She explained why Fath...why Lucius did what he did."

Hermione raised an eyebrow.

"You two aren't allowed to repeat anything you hear in here, are you?" Draco asked Doctor Hart and Becca, who both shook their heads.

"You're not a patient, but we'd never repeat something told in confidence," Becca promised him. Doctor Hart nodded agreeably, looking quite intrigued. 

"Corvus isn't my half brother," Draco murmured after considering this for a moment. "Lucius found out somehow that I'm not his son. Mum thinks he might have tried to avoid the Ministry by running to the old family home in France. I've never been there, because Mother always complained that it was too small and outdated, but she was really keeping him away from it because there's an enchanted Malfoy Family Tree there. If he went there and saw it..." he trailed off, shrugging slightly. "All she knows is he just showed up screaming that I'm a bastard. You know the rest."

"Oh!" Becca exclaimed, before clearing her throat and pulling herself together. Doctor Hart had no noticeable reaction. Evidently, Harry and Luna had already heard the news, but Hermione frowned confusedly, then gasped as his full meaning sank in. "Oh! So...Snape was your father? Well that's good, isn't it? Sort of..." She trailed off sadly. His real father was a hero, but he was dead. At least Draco had been close to him. "But you look like Lucius?" She pointed out, confused.

"Mum's remarkably good with glamours. I can’t get it off." Draco chuckled sheepishly, gesturing at his hair and eyes.

"Mister Malfoy was badly infested with snartblasts. They give people violent tendencies, and they tend to run in families, so it's good that Draco's not really related to him," Luna announced abruptly, smiling rather warmly at Draco, who was immediately reduced to flustered silence.

"Riiiight. Now that all that's sorted, it's your turn," Doctor Hart announced, obviously eager to change the subject. "First, I need you to drink this. The poison's harmless to you now, but I can't do anything about the scarring while it's still in your system." He handed Hermione the flask and she raised it to her lips. "Sorryaboutthetaste!" He blurted just as she gulped it down.

"Yeugh!" She shuddered and struggled not to vomit as the taste of what had to be Voldemort's moldy gym socks filled her mouth. It made polyjuice seem like butterbeer. "Gods...I don't even want to know what's in there."

"No, you don't," Draco and Doctor Hart agreed in unison. Harry looked a little green, and Becca just shook her head sympathetically. Luna was gazing out the window, seemingly in her own little world. 

"Alright, it should only take a few minutes to work, so let's get that arm unwrapped..." Doctor Hart shot Becca a puppy dog look. "Will you do the honors so I don't rip her skin off again?"

Snorting, Becca rolled her eyes and moved closer to Hermione. She cast a quick cleansing spell, even though the gauze seemed to be blood-free for a change. Sure enough, when she unwrapped the long strip, Hermione's arm looked much as it had before Bellatrix's death. In fact, the lines forming the racial slur seemed to be a paler pink than they had been. All other signs of the poison's damage were completely gone. 

Draco mumbled something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like, "That must've been some shag."

"Isn't it time to take Corvus down to the nursery for his next feeding?" Becca asked him suddenly. 

Everyone turned toward the blond wizard, as if they had all realized simultaneously that he probably shouldn't be there at the moment. It was odd how quickly he had started to fit in once he stopped deliberately pissing them off.

"Huh? Oh, right..." He sighed disappointedly, his gaze flickering briefly over Luna. "Good luck, Granger," he smiled weakly as he stood up and awkwardly lifted Corvus from their mother's embrace.

"Potter," Harry corrected him with a proud smile.

"Great, now there's two of you.Wizarding world beware," Draco shot back with a grin as he tried to adjust his grip without waking the baby.

"Here...I'll help you. Can I carry him?" Luna jumped up suddenly, and Draco almost dropped his brother as a look of sheer panic crossed his face. "I've babysat a lot. I won't drop him, I promise," Luna said pleadingly, misreading his reaction. "Please?" She looked up him through her eyelashes and Hermione could almost swear she heard the Slytherin's heart rate accelerate. She had to bite her cheek to keep from laughing.

"Um...sure," Draco shot Hermione an 'Oh my god, help me!' look over Luna's shoulder when he handed Corvus to her. Harry snickered quietly until Hermione put her hand on his thigh and dug in her nails warningly.

After Draco and Luna had left, Draco with one last anxious glance back, Doctor Hart pulled out his wand, sat in the chair Luna had just vacated, and said, "This might sting a bit, or it might even tickle. Just stay still...I have to knit the skin back together, metaphorically speaking."

"Okay," Hermione swallowed nervously and Harry immediately reached over to hold her right hand, squeezing it reassuringly. 

Doctor Hart began wiggling his wand back and forth over Hermione's left arm, frowning in concentration and mumbling under his breath. As he worked his way slowly up her forearm, her skin tingled a bit, then rippled like the surface of a pond. It felt strange, and kind of gross, but as he moved the tip of his wand over each cut, the awful word was completely erased. After only a few minutes, the skin on her forearm was completely flawless. 

"There you go! All gone" Doctor Hart announced needlessly as he sat up and stretched. 

Hermione stared at the unmarked flesh in awe. He'd even gotten rid of a chicken pox scar from when she was seven. "That's amazing! Thank you!" She exclaimed, hugging him until Harry cleared his throat behind her. "Sorry. Wow. You're a miracle worker..." Hermione told him as she sat back and showed her arm to Harry.

Doctor Hart laughed self-consciously. "Like I said...it's just my job."

Hermione pursed her lips thoughtfully. "It's a pretty good job to have..." she murmured, staring at her arm.

He gave her a serious look. "If you ever decide to pursue the healing arts yourself, you know how to reach me. I'll be happy to give you a reference. Not that you need one."

"I've seen enough of hospitals to last me a while." Hermione chuckled ruefully. "I'll think about it, though."

"Speaking of which...let's get you out of here, hmmm?" Doctor Hart glanced at Becca who produced a sheaf of parchment from the pocket of her apron.

"Your discharge papers," she announced, bowing playfully.

"Finally!" Hermione cheered, waving her arms over her head as Doctor Hart accepted the forms and pulled out a quill. Harry laughed happily and hugged her, kissing her cheek.

"You can go change while I sign off on these," Doctor Hart mumbled, already flipping through the pages.

"I don't have anything to change into," Hermione sighed. "The clothes I wore during the battle were pretty wrecked and I lost my bag..."

"Andromeda sent you some things after she left," Harry said quietly. "They're...they belonged to Tonks."

Becca pulled a small bag from a cabinet beside the bathroom door, holding it out to her. Hermione accepted it solemnly. "I'll just go change then."

Inside the tiny bathroom, she choked back a sob when she recognized the purple knit top at the top of the bag. It had been one of Tonks' favorites. Raising it to her face, she inhaled the scent of lavender and chocolate she'd always associated with her friend. 

It took her several minutes to stop crying and change into the shirt and a pair of well worn jeans. When she finally emerged, Becca and Doctor Hart were gone. Harry was sitting on her bed, twirling her wand around his fingers. "You're free to go," he announced, smiling sadly when he glanced at her top. "But Becca will hunt you down if we don't stop at the desk and say goodbye."

"Of course." Hermione sat beside him and bent down to snag her battered trainers from under the bed.

"Mmmm...we don't have to take too long to say goodbye, do we?" Harry murmured, placing his hand on her lower back where her shirt had ridden up, exposing a few inches of skin.

Hermione turned her head to look at him and her breath caught in her throat. He was staring at her intently, his eyes dark. Quickly finishing with her laces, Hermione sat up and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Impatient, are we?" She teased, kissing the corner of his mouth.

"I believe someone was promised more than a hospital bed quickie," he reminded her huskily.

"I didn't promise that, you did!" Hermione giggled as he kissed her neck.

"Details..." he growled. 

"Oh, for Merlin's sake, will you two just go home and shag?" A hoarse voice asked exasperatedly from the other bed.

Hermione froze, looking over to meet a pair of amused blue eyes. "S-sorry, Mrs Malfoy."

"Oh, call me Cissy," the blonde croaked. "But if you don't mind..." she looked pointedly at the door before rolling over and closing her eyes.

They were still giggling embarrassedly when they said their goodbyes to Becca, who embraced Hermione tearfully and made her promise not to be a stranger.

"That's an odd request, given where we are. She might as well have asked you to promise to get deathly ill again," Harry muttered as he led her toward the public apparation point downstairs. 

Hermione was pleased to find her strength and stamina seemed to have returned to normal and she easily kept up as he all but ran down the hallway toward the front entrance. "You know what she meant," she scolded gently, trying not to smile. 

Harry nodded, then suddenly wrapped his arms around her and scooped her up in his arms as they entered the main lobby.

"Harry! What are you doing? I can walk!" Hermione protested, flailing her arms. She was acutely aware that there were several people in the large room, and that they were beginning to whisper amongst themselves.

"Getting ready to carry my wife over the threshold on our wedding night, Mrs Potter," he murmured, kissing her deeply before turning on his heel and disapparating to a smattering of applause from the small crowd gathered nearby.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Narcissa.
> 
> Note: Made a little change to explain how Lucius realized Draco’s not his after all these years...


	13. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the end. It's really just smut and exposition. Lol Enjoy.

One year later...

"That wasn't as bad as I thought it would be," Hermione admitted, kicking off her shoes and wriggling her toes in the thick carpet covering their bedroom floor.

"Which part wasn't bad? Having to wear formal clothes? Dealing with all the reporters? Listening to Luna's dad go on and on and on about...what was it? Marsh muppets? He has to be making that shite up," Harry said, snickering as he sat on their bed and untied his shiny black dress shoes.

"Oh come on...the abject terror on Draco's face made it all worth it." Hermione giggled, struggling for a moment with the zipper at the back of her dress.

"C'mere," Harry murmured, waving her closer. Hermione stood in front of him and turned her back. "It did, but you'd think since Draco did the proposing, he would be a little more comfortable with the whole thing." Hermione felt a tug on her zipper, then Harry pulled the thin straps of the emerald green silk gown off her shoulders and the whole thing slid to the floor, puddling at her feet.

"He was just worried because the Greengrass girls showed up," Hermione explained, slowly turning as Harry wrapped his arms around her waist. "He...ah! That tickles, Harry!" She batted playfully at his head when he started leaving a trail of very light kisses across her stomach. "He was afraid Astoria had changed her mind again."

"Her father was never going to let her marry Draco. I heard him say something about madness running in the Black family," Harry mumbled against her skin.

Hermione looked down at him and smirked. "Doesn't it?" She teased.

"Ha ha." Harry rolled his eyes. "No. Just the hair. He still looks weird without that glamour...no wonder it looked so fake before," he muttered, then reached around her to release the hooks on her black strapless bra, dropping it behind her before taking her left nipple in his mouth and sucking lightly.

Hermione moaned and collapsed onto his lap as her knees gave out. "Oh god!"

"Mmhmm," Harry agreed, looking up at her and winking cheekily. He switched to the other breast, impatiently trying to pull her knickers off while she was still straddling his legs. He let out a soft, annoyed grunt and moved both hands to her left hip, grasping the material firmly.

"Don't you dare rip another pair of my knickers, Harry James Potter! These were very expensive!" Hermione protested, trying to wriggle free.

"Good thing we're fairly well off then," Harry replied casually, looking up at her again with a wicked gleam in his eyes.

"No! Harry! Ow!" Hermione yelped and swatted at him when he ignored her and tore the flimsy fabric, leaving the ruined garment dangling loosely from her right thigh. "Dammit, Harry!"

"Well, you could just stop wearing them," he said, completely unrepentant.

"Right, I'm just going to sit in classes and wander around the hospital with no knickers..." Hermione snorted.

Harry frowned in mock thoughtfulness, then brightened theatrically and raised a finger as if struck by a sudden epiphany. "Maybe you could just learn to undress faster!" He grinned mischievously.

"Says the man who is still fully clothed!" Hermione laughed, gesturing at his formal dress robes. "You've barely loosened your tie!"

"I've been busy helping you!" He exclaimed innocently.

"Helping yourself, more like it..." Hermione snickered, stopping abruptly when he sucked her nipple into his mouth again. "God...Harry! Divesto..." She murmured the handy spell she'd learned during a recent class tour of the emergency ward at St Mungos, and Harry's clothing disappeared.

"See, if you just did that to start, I wouldn't have to rip things," he mumbled around her nipple.

"They're...gone, Harry. They...don't...come back," Hermione admitted distractedly. It was hard to concentrate with the things he was currently doing with his tongue.

He sat up, releasing her nipple with an audible pop, thought for a moment, then shrugged indifferently. "Remember this the next time you want me to wear dress robes somewhere."

Hermione rolled her eyes and pushed on his shoulders. "Move up." She gestured toward the small mountain of pillows at the head of their bed.

"What if I'd rather move down?" he asked saucily, slipping a hand between her legs and wiggling his eyebrows.

Hermione moaned softly and ground herself against his fingers for a moment before remembering her goal for the evening. "Lie down, Harry," she requested, pushing him toward the pillows again.

He pouted, but obeyed, and she crawled after him and sat on his thighs. "A bit higher..." he grinned, gently gripping her waist and giving a tug.

Hermione smirked and moved up his body, settling on his abdomen. "Better?"

"Not really..." he grumbled, thrusting his hips impatiently.

"Remember earlier I said I wanted to show you something?" Hermione asked seriously, ignoring his attempts to get her to move back a bit.

Something in her tone must have gotten through to him, because he didn't make any of the suggestive comments she had just left herself open to. Instead, he nodded and tilted his head questioningly. "What's up, Hon?"

Hermione smiled nervously, anticipating his reaction. "I learned another new spell recently." Leaning over, she picked up her wand from the bedside table where she'd dropped it upon entering the room. She could probably have performed the spell wandlessly, but she didn’t want to mess it up. "Indicatus graviditate..." she murmured, waving the wand over her abdomen. Just as it had when she first tried the spell earlier that day while getting ready for Draco and Luna's wedding, her lower abdomen began to glow a bright, bubblegum pink.

Harry cocked his head even further to the side, staring at the glow, then shifting his gaze to her face. "D-does that mean what I think it means?" he asked, his voice cracking.

"That depends on what you think it means...Daddy," Hermione murmured, her eyes filling with happy tears when he let out a choked gasp and immediately crushed her to his chest in a tight embrace.

"Really?!" He asked, pushing her away a bit so he could look at her stomach again, then hugging her again. "When?" he asked excitedly.

"I'm only about five or six weeks, so he or she is due sometime in early January," Hermione announced happily.

"What is it?" Harry asked excitedly, touching her stomach like she might break. "It's pink..."

"That just means the test is positive, it's not an indicator of the baby's gender," Hermione explained. "I was waiting until I was with you to cast this..." she waved her wand again, murmuring, "Masculum et feminam." The glowing area flickered, then turned blue. "A boy! That means he's a boy!" Hermione gasped, covering her stomach with one hand and her mouth with the other.

Harry's eyes were glistening as he looked back and forth between her face and her stomach. "We're going to have a son?" He asked, looking completely awestruck.

"Yes," Hermione confirmed, caressing his cheek with the hand that had been over her mouth.

"But what about your healer training?" He asked worriedly, lightly stroking her stomach. "I thought this was supposed to take a while..." he gestured at the blue glowing area, then gently ran his fingers over it again.

"That tickles, Harry!" Hermione protested, laughing. When he stopped, she said, "Well, we knew it was possible I could get pregnant right away. I can take extra classes this summer, and I should be able to finish my fall classes before he comes along. I can just take the spring semester off to be with him, and then start classes again in the summer or fall. I already talked to my advisor, and it won’t be a problem. The timings actually pretty good, because there aren't any required classes that are only available in the spring, but you know this fall I have to take-mmmmph!" Harry cut off her rambling response by rolling them over and kissing her deeply.

"Breath, Luv," he mumbled against her lips, then made doing so impossible by kissing her again. He eased his tongue into her mouth and spent several minutes exploring every centimeter of her mouth before finally pulling away so they could both follow his playful command. "Should we even be doing this? It's not going to hurt him, is it?"

Hermione giggled and pushed against his shoulders. "He'll be fine, Harry."

"He won't be traumatized or anything? Can he hear us?" Harry asked curiously.

"No, he can't hear anything. He doesn't even have ears yet," Hermione explained. "He can't see, either," she added quickly when he opened his mouth again.

"We should take advantage while we still can, then," Harry said seriously. He immediately began kissing his way down her neck.

"Mmmm...'kay," Hermione moaned as he licked and then sucked on her left nipple. "You know you're going to have to share those in about eight months?"

Harry popped up with a frown. "Will he give them back when he's done?"

"Yes, if you even still want them then. They'll probably never be the same again. The rest of me, too..."

"I will always want all of you," Harry said, moving up again so he could look her in the eye. "I don't care if you gain fifty kilograms and never lose a bit of it. You're beautiful, and having a baby...my baby...that can only make you more beautiful."

Hermione smiled up at him, her eyes welling with tears. "George told you to say that when you told him we were trying, didn't he?" George's fiancee, Angelina had just given birth a few weeks ago, and she had been notoriously emotional throughout her entire pregnancy, despite normally being a bit of a tomboy.

"Of course not!" Harry replied indignantly. "It was Bill..." He ducked as Hermione pretended to smack him on the back of the head. "Is this why you're always so violent lately?" He asked teasingly. "Hormones?"

"I'm not violent!" Hermione protested, swatting him on the shoulder. He gave her a pointed look and she sighed. "It's not my fault you're such a smart arse," she grumbled.

"Well, it sort of is," he argued, laughing. "See, I come by it naturally, I hear, but it was a bit repressed until you came along and made me happier than I ever imagined."

Hermione was going to point out that she'd 'come along' eight years ago and he had never been like this until Voldemort was gone, but he kissed her quite enthusiastically and slid a hand between her legs again, and she quickly forgot what they were even talking about. "Harry..." she mumbled when he drew away from her mouth to kiss his way down her neck.

"Mmmmm," he murmured, pausing to lick her nipple before kissing a trail to her navel. She knew what he was planning, but his fingers were already driving her crazy, and she didn't want to come without him.

"Wait...Harry," Hermione protested, grabbing his shoulders and pulling him up for another kiss. "Not tonight. I just want you."

"My mouth is part of me, last time I checked," he said, pouting.

Hermione reached down and caressed him, smirking when he let out a loud moan. "I want THIS part of you. Now." She pushed his hand away from her and gave him a gentle tug closer for emphasis.

"Bloody hell..." he grunted, but obediently moved between her legs. She lined him up and he thrust inside with a loud moan. "Oh god, 'Mi..."

"Harry..." Hermione sighed happily, wrapping her arms and legs tightly around him as they began to rock against each other. "You feel so good..."

After a few minutes, Harry shifted his angle slightly, then slipped a hand behind her right knee, lifting it higher against her chest. His next slow, deep thrust sent a shock of pleasure through her, and she squealed loudly, clawing at his lower back. "That's it..." She could hear the smirk in his voice, but she was beyond caring.

Unfortunately, he seemed determined to torture her by keeping his movements too slow for her to orgasm. Every time she came to the edge, he would pause for a moment before continuing the same deep, steady rhythm.

"Harder, Harry...faster," she muttered impatiently when he ignored her and continued at a pace that was far too slow to allow her to come. "Harry...come on..." she growled and deliberately dug her fingernails into his arse while squeezing her inner muscles around him.

"Fuck!" Harry gasped, jerking violently, then, finally, thrusting more quickly.

"Good boy..." Hermione giggled, squeezing again, then moaning when he rose up on his knees and lifted her ankles to his shoulders. "Oh yeah..."

"Like this?" He growled, slamming his hips against hers.

"Oh gods, I'm gonna come!" Hermione gasped, closing her eyes as her stomach began to flutter and her inner muscles clamped down around him involuntarily. "Oh god, Harry..." she breathed, stuck right on the edge of what she knew was going to be an intense orgasm.

"Come for me, 'Mi!" His voice sounded strained, and she opened her eyes. Her breath caught in her throat when she found him gazing intently into her eyes, his own shining with adoration. His face contorted with pleasure just as he reached down to rub his thumb across her clit. "Come..." he pleaded, his voice ragged. "So close..."

Hermione tried to maintain eye contact with him when her release finally swept through her, but her spine arched, nearly bucking him off her, and he threw his own head back with a sound somewhere between a growl and a whimper when he followed her over the edge a second later. Hermione saw white spots when she finally let her eyes drift shut.

"You killed me," Harry mumbled into her hair a few minutes later when their breathing finally started to even out. "I think I'm dead." She felt him shift a bit and then his lips closed over her right nipple.

Hermione chuckled weakly. "Right back at ya. I think I might have passed out..." She opened her eyes and smiled down at him. "You're going to have trouble sharing those, aren't you?"

"Nope, I can't wait. I'm just getting my turn in while I still can." He winked. Rolling off of her, he plopped onto his back and pulled her into his arms with a yawn. "Just one thing..." he mumbled drowsily.

"What's that?" Hermione asked, snuggling against his chest and nuzzling his neck.

"I don't care what they say, we are _not_ letting Andromeda or Narcissa help name him. I mean...Nymphadora...Draco...Corvus? No...they're clearly not qualified."

"Agreed," Hermione snickered. She felt him kiss the top of her head, and turned so she could kiss the underside of his jaw. "Good night...Daddy."

"Yeah...I'm going to have to ask you to stop calling me that. At least when we're both naked." Harry chuckled.

"You're no fun," Hermione pouted playfully.

"Go to sleep, woman!" He laughed and gently pinched her side.

As she settled down and slowly drifted off to sleep, Hermione couldn't help but hope that wherever she was, Bellatrix was fuming over how her 'revenge' had played out.


End file.
